Diane Dane
by LittleFlowerLei
Summary: Diane's life has been all but perfect. But as she attempts at finding happieness in the opera house, her abusive exhusband tries to win her back, and all the while, she has to teach her friend that letting her love again isn't bad. Ch34 up. ErikOC
1. The Magician

**Chapter One: **The Magician

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff. Here are a few pre-fic notes:

I am still a MegErik fan. I just have an urge to do a fic like this- and I like designing my own chars. For fics 'n stuff.

This may-or may not- turn out like a sue. At this point I don't know but I'm hoping that it won't be.

I'm doing my best to keep them in character. There will be some points where they aren't-but that's it. Don't flame me on that. No flames at all actually.

It is a Semi-song fic. This means that they do sing- but it isn't a song fic.

"Attention everyone! Attention!" Called one of the two new managers of the Opera populaire- Barnard Charles. He was a tall man, very scrawny for his age; and had a light brush of silver hair on his face. He'd bought the opera Populaire from Andre' and Firmin four years prior, and had spent that time renovating it. He was a millionaire, and so was his partner, Bayard Mace. The two had been friends since childhood and decided that they would work together to make the opera populaire as wonderful as it once was. "As you know we seem to have come up a bit short in our funds to get the chandelier and most of the west part of the opera populaire finished; so to help raise money- we've hired extra help."

"From who?" Carlotta asked loudly as the doors to the stage opened to reveal a woman with a four-year old girl holding onto her hand and a few bags. The woman was a redhead who had on a long black overcoat with a fluffy white shirt under it. The woman herself looked very thin, as if she'd not been fed like a queen, much like Carlotta had in the past. The little girl however, looked well fed while not being too chubby.

"May I present- Mademoiselle Dane. She will be performing magic on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays while we practice our operas Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays." No one seemed happy to hear about it- although some were glad to hear that three days a week they'd get off of practice to relax or something. But they weren't sure she could _actually _do magic.

When they asked her if she could, she just smiled, brought a table over to Carlotta; and began her trick. She grabbed a frog and put it under one of three cups. She moved the cups around, and then stacked the two empty ones on each other. She then tapped it three times- and then asked Carlotta to cough.

So she did, it was a soft cough at first, but then she started gagging, and started screaming when the frog that had been put under the cups started to crawl out of her throat and jump off her tongue.

Diane Dane caught the frog and put it in the palm of her hand, she then stuck two of her own fingers into the palm where the frog was, and pulled out a red rose. She handed it to her daughter while the entire opera cast was clapping for her.

"This is my daughter, Mia Dane." Mia smiled quietly and stayed close to her mother. Mia had red hair like her mother, except her hair had a slight curl to it, while Diane's just hung at her shoulders and didn't flow at all.

"Mademoiselle Dane has agreed to help bring in more of a crowed with her magic tricks so we can re-build the populaire completely. Now, Mademoiselle- may I show you to your room?"

Diane got a private room for her stay. Mostly because she wasn't part of the ballet, so she couldn't stay in the ballet dormitories. It wasn't a big room, but she didn't need a big room, she just needed room to practice her tricks with her daughter, and sleep.

"Thank you Monsieur." Diane said before Charles could shut the door behind him and leave Diane and Mia in their room. "Well Mia? How do you like it so far?"

"It's OK." Mia smiled at her mother and asked her to do a card trick. Card tricks were always Mia's favorite of her mother's tricks. Diane had many flashy tricks, most with frogs coming out of opera singer's mouths, speeding up time in a certain place, or letting an orange drop at a slow rate. She never could understand why a simple card trick was Mia's favorite.

"Alright, can you find me a deck?" Mia nodded eagerly and unpacked her bags in the tiny room connected to Diane's; that was a good way to get her daughter to unpack. Promise her a simple card trick, and her entire suitcase would come flying open and all over the room.

Diane unpacked her bags as well; placing various family pictures (If they had photos back then, then photos, otherwise, portraits) on the beauro; most of which were of her and her daughter, and her own mother. Who had died two years prior.

Mia was Diane's world. She did have many devoted fans that would put themselves in the way if she ever got arrested- but they weren't as important to her as Mia. Though they were flesh and blood, they were all each other had.

Diane was in love with Mia's father, whom she thought had loved her back. He was so handsome, and he had promised her the world. But the world suddenly became a lie- when Mia was born.

He started getting angry when Mia would cry; he started getting angry with Diane when she asked for help. So angry that he would hit them both; and he even made Mia bleed once when she was two and was crying over her departed grandmother. He called her a screaming wretch and hit her against the brick wall of their house.

Not only that, but he hated Diane's abilities.

"It's witchcraft!" He bellowed. "My wife has sold herself to the devil!" and he would beat her while screaming that she was a harpy from the devil.

She could remember that he was a bible-black tyrant. He went by the bible and the bible told him to repent anyone who had committed a sin; and in his eyes, Diane was a walking sin, who had produced a sin named Mia.

"Momma?" Diane snapped out of her daze and looked at Mia, whom was holding a deck of cards tenderly. "Can you do the trick now?"

"Sure baby." Sin or not, Diane loved Mia more than anything she'd ever loved. She was so innocent and beautiful; she would make any man happy to be with her, and she was glad that Mia didn't have to grow up around someone who thought she was a sin. Diane took the deck, and held all the cards in her hands. "Pick a card." Mia did, six of red hearts, but she knew the trick well enough to know not to say a word about it. "Now put it back." So she did. She placed the card between the king of hearts and the nine of black spades. Diane fixed the cards back into the deck; held her hand over the deck and the six of red hearts floated out of the deck. "Am I right?" Mia squealed her childish squeal and nodded. Diane smiled and slid the card back into the deck. "Great, now can you go unpack baby?" Mia nodded, after taking her cards back, she started towards her bedroom.

"Momma?" Diane looked at Mia, whom had not gone back into her room yet. "Can I learn magic too?" Diane smiled and nodded to her daughter, she was so glad to hear Mia wanted to learn her trade.

"Of course baby, I'll teach you when you get a little bit older OK?" Mia nodded and trotted into her room to unpack her things.

How could Siegfried not love that little girl? She was so cute and loving. But parts of her knew why he couldn't love her; it was because her mother was a sin, and he was just so sure that Mia would be a sin too. So sure that she would be a Satan patron just like her "witch" mother.

But the joke was on him, Mia was sweet, smart, and loyal; kind of like a puppy, except she wore gowns and was obsessed with the card tricks her mother knew; one of the least flashy and exciting tricks she knew. But Mia loved it, and that was all that mattered. Without Mia- Diane's life would have absolutely no meaning.

**Hi! Ummm yeah. I finally decided to put this on the internet. Well anyway; I hope you liked the first Chapter, and I hope you like the fic as a whole. No flames and stuff. I finished a book and while I'm waiting for it to either be rejected or accepted- I'm working on my fan fictions. Here is my Phantom fic; some stuff from my past fics may appear in here- I haven't entirely decided yet. Enjoy!!**


	2. Mia and the Phantom

**Chapter Two: **Mia and the Phantom

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

It was the first night of her mother's performances; normally Mia would watch from behind the scenes, but that night William; Diane's assistant; was too busy to watch over her as he normally did. So she was left in the care of one of the ballet girls who wore too much make-up.

Mia found the girl repulsive. She bit her nails, and wore way too much lipstick and eye shadow. She didn't even like Mia all that much; and wasn't entirely paying attention to her. So, Mia stood up and left.

Normally, Mia would have stayed with her baby-sitter, but of course- normally her baby-sitter was William and he loved her. He paid attention to her while doing backstage work, if it wasn't too serious he always let her help.

But not that night, it was the first night in a new city, and new cities were always the hardest for Mia, Diane, and William. They'd always need to find someone to help with Mia while William did his job; but normally it wasn't hard.

Mia walked through the opera house, suddenly wishing she hadn't wandered off. It was such a big place; everything was so big and unfriendly. Sure- eventually she would need to get used to it, but just as quickly as she could get used to it- she would have to leave.

Before she knew it, she'd made it out to the stables and saw all the horses unhappy to see a lost child with no adult chaperone, except maybe the tiny white pony that didn't care one way or the other. It was pitch black in there, so very dark. The only light was the moon and it didn't help much. She sighed and kept going; until one of the horses got loose from the stables (The person who rode it last didn't lock the door right, and it was open.) and threatened her.

* * *

Erik had a horse in the stables. No one knew who it belonged to but at the same time they didn't care. They didn't take care of it or feed it; so what did they care if a horse was in there? Perhaps it belonged to a stagehand who only rode it at night.

He was in his horses stall brushing it; he never could take it down to his home, for one it wouldn't be able to survive down there; and for another it would be too noticeable.

His horse was a black horse; but of course you probably saw that coming. It didn't really have a name- he never called it anything special. He never had a reason to; it was just a black horse that he had and had once used to follow Christine in the dead of night.

"Aaah!" He heard a scream, looking out of the stall; he saw one of the angrier horses challenging a small child. A small child he'd never seen before and he'd seen every person who ever came into the opera populaire since he became the phantom. A little red-head child was trying not to get trampled by the obviously angry horse who wanted to crush her.

Although he was not sure if his reactions were correct; he knew what was right. He went over to the horse and pulled on the reigns to keep it from crushing the little girl; and getting it back into its stall and locking the door correctly.

He turned back to the little girl, and she was just watching him. She looked as if she yearned to say something to him; but didn't.

"You're welcome." He told her spitefully, going back to his own horse and locking its gate.

"I'm sorry." She whispered softly. "Momma said not to talk to strangers." Erik rolled his eyes and turned to the little girl, whom seemed timid and shy around him. She looked as if she was trying to find someone to talk for her; to stand behind and let them talk.

"Why are you out here alone?"

"Momma is doing a show- William is helping her and my baby-sitter doesn't like me. I wanted to find something to do; but there weren't any other children to play with, all the adults were busy or don't like me." Erik pitied the girl. She tried so hard to find someone to play with her but no one could or wanted to. Erik sighed and spoke to her.

"When will your mother's show be over?" Mia stood there in the darkness, thinking of when it would be over.

"When she comes and gets me." She sounded so proud of her answer, almost so that it was kind of annoying to him. But at the same time it was adorable and he couldn't help but let her take him back to her and her mother's room so they could play cards or something.

They did play cards; little games like old maid, go fish, and pick-a-card. Although she couldn't play the pick-a-card game as well as her mother, she was still good at it. Erik found it strange that he could bond with a child, perhaps it was his own childlike innocence that made it possible. Mia ended up telling him about her mommy, and how she was a magician.

"Momma plays cards best." Mia told him proudly as she gave him three of the cards. "She makes my card float. Momma is fun; we travel a lot because we have to give performances all over the world." Mia liked telling him about her mother; normally everyone knew her mother and wouldn't listen to her. Erik was nice to her, and she liked him. "We are doing charity here." Mia continued as Erik gave her his two of hearts. "Monsieur Charles asked momma to help raise money to finish the opera house." She liked having opened up to Erik, he was so easy to talk to, not like most of the adults she met, they always did the talking-and usually to her mother. "You should meet my momma. She's real fun, she acts more like a kid than most grown-ups I've met."

"Yeah- about that- how about we keep this between us, alright?" Mia looked up at him with her bright green eyes and asked him why. "Just because most people here don't like me, and I don't want them to be angry." It was hard not telling her about his past- about how he was supposed to be dead, she was just a child and he had to think of a reason. But she just smiled and nodded.

"Are you sure we can't tell Momma? She keeps secrets real good." Erik shook his head again. "Well- alright."

"Mia?" She could hear William calling, she jumped up smiling; and ran towards William's voice. Erik set the cards down and escaped through the window; Mia was a nice little girl- and spoke of her mother so highly. No matter how dead he was supposed to be; she sounded like a person he'd like to meet, too bad he was supposed to be dead.

* * *

**This chapter may have been lame. But trust me, the rest of the story is way better (I've got the first 16 chapters done at this point) and this is just a...leading up to the rest kinda thing. I've also got a rough outline of the sequil planned out. But not enough to_ promise_ a Sequil.**


	3. Diane's Performance

**Chapter Three: **Diane's Performance

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

While Mia had been wandering around in the opera populaire; and talking to the phantom, Diane had been performing. The entire populaire was full; although some seats were left open from people who didn't like going back just yet. 

Damien- the hired announcer for Diane Dane took center stage and began speaking to the public.

"Life and death, Good and Evil, Light and Dark, all of these make up our world and what it always has been. The eternal yin and yang of our universe see here tonight as these elements are truly put to the test

Let me introduce, the greatest Magician in the world- Diane Dane."

The audience was surprised to see a woman walk out onto the stage with her assistant beside her; helping her with her tricks.

"Good and Evil." Diane began, walking around the stage casually. "The two sides of a human being. Each and every person has a good side, and a bad side. It is what makes us who we are. Today I will challenge someone to see a whole new side of themselves that they never knew existed. Now, May I have a volunteer?" The whole crowed was silent, Diane waited for someone; and when no one wanted to; she just simply said:

"I assure you; no harm will come to you." Still no one wanted to take a chance with a stranger. But just as she saw her show crashing down from a lack of volunteers, a man rose from the audience and asked to be her volunteer. "Thank you monsieur! Please come up to the stage." The man left his seat to go onto the stage. But as he drew nearer and nearer; all Diane wanted to do was run. Lie and say that Mia needed her; or she couldn't continue the show. But she did know showmanship, and it was her who asked for a volunteer. She could not turn back from the point of no return.

The man was tall and scrawny. He had black hair rolled back into a curled rat-tail, and he wore black. It was him, the man she'd been running from for the last two years; her husband Siegfried Dane.

"Look into my eyes monsieur." She continued as if he were a regular person, on a regular stage in front of regular people. He wasn't her child beating, wife beating, and bible-black tyrant of a husband.

Oh those eyes…those eyes that she'd fallen in love with were back with her's. Those lagoon green eyes; oh how she loved them once.

But not anymore, not after what he did to her and Mia, he was a bad man; and she never wanted him around her baby again.

"Now, look into the mirror." So he did, brushing his arm against her gently and secretively. The entire audience saw his reflection; and they saw that his reflection was moving on its own; it had smiled on its own and acted as if it was another person entirely. But when it was supposed to be bad; it was good. Meaning that the man giving the reflection was bad himself. Diane saw in the mirror; that it changed from good-to bad. It showed him beating on a platinum colored woman shaped silhouette and a small, platinum colored, child shaped silhouette. The entire audience gasped at it; and since it was supposed to show opposites, which showed that he wasn't any of those things.

But that was a lie.

He was all the things the mirror showed; Diane was wrong- there wasn't good in everyone. Siegfried was the only acception she knew of.

"Thank you Monsieur." He brushed his arm against her's as he returned to his seat, making her feel completely uncomfortable. She glanced at William, who knew who it was as well.

William was a family friend, Mia loved him, and he was like a big brother to Diane. He wanted nothing more than for the two most important women in his life to be happy.

He'd had a wife and child once, but they both died in a fire that destroyed him. It was as if he'd lost himself in the blaze, but Diane understood the pain he had; she understood what it was like to lose yourself. So they'd become close friends, and traveled together as Diane's fame grew.

Though he wished he was more to Diane than he was; he was happy being her friend. He was happy protecting her from all the harm in the world and being a male-figure Mia could look up to. But he knew that someday, Diane would find a man who loved her and Mia more than anything; and he wouldn't have any obligations to her any longer.

As the show pressed on; he understood that she would need him to help her now that her husband has returned to take her back to the world of abuse and unhappiness. But he knew that she wouldn't go, she was stronger than that.

But when her show was over, she saw him coming for her. Panicking, she ran behind the curtain and took off with William following her.

"Great show tonight." William told her. "It couldn't have been a better introduction show for Paris."

"It could have been better." She told him, slowing to a fast-walk because there would be no way he could catch up with them at that rate. "But it doesn't matter; this is our last show here. He knows where I am. We have to pack up and go." William got in front of her and told her not to say that.

"You promised to help earn money to re-build the opera house." Diane shook her head and told him she was leaving. "Listen to me. Siegfried doesn't know you're staying here. Besides, you just got done unpacking. You can't uproot Mia like that."

"I also can't let him get a hold of her again." Diane wasn't thinking any of it through, she wasn't thinking that going back on a promise could damage her reputation, and uprooting her daughter right when they finally got done unpacking would have an impact on their relationship. But she had no choice; she wanted Mia to be safe, and to be safe; she had to make a few sacrifices.

* * *

**Now this is one of the chapters I'm worried about.But after re-reading it, it wasn't as lame as I thought. Again, sorry if ya'll think it's**** lame.**

**oh hey! Lets thank my two super-kewl reveiwers!:**

**Phantom's Ange **

** and**

**Market Square Heroes **

**u guyz rock!**


	4. Let me Stay!

**Chapter Four: **Let me stay!

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Diane didn't know how to tell Mia that they would have to pack up and move again. She loved their new home; and while she was being tucked in that night of the performance, Diane asked if she had fun.

"I did." Mia answered smiling, but then she saw something in her mother that made her worry. "What?" Diane just smiled at Mia softly and kissed her forehead.

"You know I love you more than anything, right?" Mia nodded; Diane nodded along with her and kept talking. "Then know that what I do- I do to protect you. I want you to have a good life Mia. I'm sorry I keep shuffling you around like this." Mia sat up in her bed and asked Diane what was going on. She shook her head and kissed her forehead again.

"Nothing baby, get some sleep OK?" Mia slowly nodded. "Do you want Alex?" Mia nodded again as her mother got off the bed and handed her a porcline doll with golden locks of hair, and put it beside her daughter. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight momma." As her mother closed the door; Mia turned over and hugged onto her doll, something was happening around her, and she didn't know what.

But Diane knew that sooner or later she'd have to tell Mia that they would have to pack up and move once more. It was hard to ask that of her daughter; even if Diane had broken off her marriage with Siegfried, he was still ruining their lives. Both of them liked the opera populaire; and loved helping them make money to rebuild it; but they had to leave for their safety, for Mia's safety.

"Diane?" Diane finished pinning her hair up before she went to sleep as well when she looked at the door and saw William standing in the door of her room.

"William? Come in." So he did, he closed the door behind him and sat on her bed, watching her as she finished her nightly routine and talked to her.

"Are you sure this is best? Mia likes it here; uprooting her won't help." Diane looked into her mirror as if she was unsure herself.

"You don't know him like I do." Diane had pain in her eyes as she remembered being hit; she remembered all the horrible things that happened to her because of Siegfried. "If he doesn't get what he wants, he'll keep fighting to get it. He won't stop hunting us until we're dead. All we can do for now is try to keep one step ahead." Before their conversation could go any further; they saw Mia standing in the doorway holding onto Alex by the wrist. "Mia-"

"I don't want to leave." Mia started, clutching onto her doll. But as Diane and William stood up; Mia took off running down the halls and away from them.

William chased after her; but lost her.

She hid in Christine's dressing room without knowing whose it was. She held onto Alex and cried. She didn't want to leave, she for once; had a friend instead of her mother.

"Mia?" Her head shot up and saw Erik looking at her from the shadows. "What are you doing out this late? Why are you crying? Where is your mother?" Mia couldn't even talk; she just held onto Alex and kept crying.

"Momma..." she hiccupped, wiping her eyes with her hand. "Momma wants to take me away. My daddy is comin' back and I think he wants to hurt us again."

"Again?" Erik said quietly. Mia nodded and clung to Alex even tighter.

"Daddy used to hit us. He didn't like us, so Momma took me away. She said that she is trying to keep me safe-but-" she couldn't even keep talking after that. It hurt so bad to be leaving again. She never stayed in one place for long, just long enough for Siegfried to show up; scare Diane, and force them out once again. "I want to stay here. Let me live with you OK? I'll be real good- and quiet-"

"You know you can't do that." Erik told her, but Mia was stubborn.

"At least let me stay tonight. I don't want to go back with momma so we could leave again, I'll try to figure it all out later- right now I just need a place to sleep." Erik wanted to tell her she had to go back to her mother, that running away from problems won't make them go away. But it was late; Mia was tired, and she was upset. Erik nodded and she stood and walked with him behind the mirror and into his world.

About halfway there, she got tired of walking- but didn't say anything. Erik saw she was tired, and lifted her up. She rested her head on his shoulder as he walked her down to his home, she didn't even see the entire way there, because she fell asleep before the boat.

* * *

"Mia!" William called. "Mia please, come out!" But there was no answer from her, there couldn't have been; she was miles below the surface, sleeping soundly in a silk swan bed while the phantom stalked the rafters searching for her mother or someone to give a note to-saying that Mia was safe and sleeping.

He saw William searching near the dressing room; so that was who he gave the letter with the red skull insignia to. It fluttered down and right into William's grasp, He then opened the letter and read it.

"Diane, here." When he got back to Diane's dressing room, he gave her the note and she began reading it.

_Mademoiselle Dane, _

_Your Daughter, Mia, is safely sleeping at my home. I assure you no harm shall come to her while in my protection. I'll try and talk her into returning in the morning- but for now she's safe and sound._

_She spoke to me about you're wanting to move her away. Though it is none of my business to question you're decisions concerning your daughter; I have to say that she would rather stay in the opera populaire. I'm aware that leaving her behind is out of the question, but perhaps there are alternative ways to keep her safe and at the opera house._

_But again, it is not my place to question your motives. All I ask is that you try and keep Mia happy; she's what is important, am I right?_

_Again; Mia is safe and sound while in my care, I'm sending her back in the morning. _

_.O.G._

"Diane? What do you think of this?" Diane threw the letter down and pouted. She was not happy one bit about what was happening.

"See? Even when he isn't around, Siegfried is ruining my life! He made me need to uproot my daughter- sending her to a stranger's house where he could do god knows what to her and-and-and-" She started crying. William put his arms around her and assured her that he would help her find Mia. "Where did you find this?"

"Somewhere by the dressing rooms I think." William tried to recall where he found it, but Diane was already asking him to leave the room so she could get dressed.

* * *

She had William take her to where he found the note; it was pretty dark, with six or seven dressing rooms. There would be no way of finding which one Mia was in, except to look through them all.

William took the first, and Diane took the second. The first was La Carlotta's dressing room; it had big flowers, her portrait from Hannibal, a big mirror and a changing screen, but no Mia.

The second was Christine's. It was almost exactly like La Carlotta's dressing room, except it didn't have any flowers, or any portraits of her. All it had was a vanity, changing screen, and a lone mirror.

But when she looked at the mirror with curiosity; she saw it wasn't entirely closed. She put her fingers in the opening and slid the glass open as if it was a Japanese paper door she saw when they were doing a show in Japan.

She walked down the long hall with single-minded determination. She had a feeling her baby was down there; she could feel it.

* * *

**Due to wanting more reviews, I've decided to put ch 4 up :D and I hope it was up to your standards. I thank my reviewers once more:D**


	5. Mia Can’t Swim

**Chapter Five: **Mia Can't Swim

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Erik allowed Mia to sleep in peace. Somehow- it was easy to bond with the little girl. She was so open to new things, and people she knew. She knew Erik, and she trusted him to keep her in the opera house. What was it that made it so easy to bond with her? Other than she was open and would tell him almost anything while they played her little card games.

She couldn't have understood his pain, because she was only four years old. Perhaps it was because she was young, and didn't know how to judge him unless he was mean. But she forced the kindness out of him, and then it was all he could show her.

He started to get up and get some tea; but he heard sloshing in the lake. He turned to see a tall, redhead woman in a fluffy white shirt and pants come trudging through the water with single-minded determination.

"How did you find a way down here?" He bellowed, but softly, so Mia could stay asleep.

"Where is Mia?" She didn't exactly know _how_ she got down there. Nothing exactly made any since anymore. He didn't respond so she asked again, louder and closer to him.

"I take it you're Mia's mother." He answered her, she didn't even nod to him; she was sure he already knew that she was. "Well, Mia is sleeping- unharmed, just as promised- and I really don't think you should wake her." Diane watched him, and then began shouting.

"Mia! Mia get up!" Erik kept trying to get her to be quiet so Mia could sleep- but it seemed like the more he tried, the louder she got. "I'd have expected more out of a gentleman, Monsieur. Stealing my little girl away and bringing her here; and not even bothering to tell me _in person_. How do I know you were even going to bring her back?"

"I don't know." Erik began, crossing his arms. "How is she supposed to feel at home when you're going to pack her up again?"

Diane shook her head, what in god's name was he talking about? "What?"

"How well do you actually _know_ your daughter?" Part of Erik was determined to get Diane to realize that she wasn't doing what was best for her daughter- no matter how good her intentions were.

"Wake up Mia!" Diane bellowed again, that seemed to be her way out of uncomfortable conversations with Erik. She looked at him and answered his own question. "Of course I know her. I know her better than anyone else."

"Really?" Erik raised his visible eyebrow. "Did you know her father hit her?"

"Yes." Diane argued back. "That was why we left." As they argued back and forth; Mia groggily walked to the stairs and down them. But when the two adults looked at her; she saw her mother had come to claim her.

"I'm _not_ leaving!" Mia yelled before her mother could open her mouth to say something. But as Diane started at Mia's wrist to drag her back to the surface, she took off towards the lake.

She didn't get very far off shore before her head bobbed, and then she sunk.

"Mia!" Diane screeched; starting to dive after her. But before she had a chance, Erik was already in the water, grabbing around for Mia's arm. The water wasn't very deep, but considering Mia's age and size, it was deep enough for her. She was a very small girl, barely up to her mother's knees; and it was easy for her to sink in the murky water.

It wasn't too long before Erik grabbed a hold of Mia's arm and moved so he could lift her out of the water. Once she was out of the water and clinging to Erik's clothes, she let out nine pitiful coughs.

Erik gave Mia back to Diane, and quickly told them to leave. Diane scooped Mia up in her arms as Erik began to escort them out by the boat. The last thing he needed was some irritating woman and a child lost in his world, they would cause such a racket that it was both unwanted and unnecessary.

**

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**


	6. Bad mother

**Chapter Six: **Bad mother

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

Erik stayed away from Mia and Diane for the rest of the week; but he did listen as they talked about whether or not they'd move away from the opera. Mia wouldn't change her mind about not wanting to; so Diane decided that it wouldn't hurt to stay. William agreed with Mia; leaving wouldn't solve anything. Siegfried would just follow them to the new town and haunt them there.

But on the night of Diane's performance; Mia separated herself from her baby-sitter once again and went to Erik and he ended up watching her during her mother's show.

Diane's show as just as spellbinding as the others. That time; she put a handkerchief in a box, gave it to an audience member, and made the handkerchief leave the box the audience and appear in the box on stage, which astounded everyone.

She grew an apple tree within seconds, and other flashy tricks which bewitched the audience, and she ended up making hundreds in one night, much better then her shows previous to that.

When her show came to an end; Siegfried followed her backstage and began talking to her.

"Hello Diane." She didn't reply to him; she just helped William put her props away. "I see you're using your witchcraft well."

"What do you want?" Diane asked harshly, she watched as William took the box to Diane and Mia's room so that she could practice for the next show. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"I want you to come back home with me." Siegfried really did want her back, even if she did sell her soul to the devil; there was a way to get her to repent. He could purify her soul.

"No. I'm not going back." She told him sure fully. She did still have a small love for him, but that love wasn't big enough for her to put herself and her daughter back in danger. She knew what he was going to do; he was going to try and "Purify" them, and she knew that also meant putting both her and her daughter in the morgue.

"C'mon Diane." He brought his hand up to her waist; and held it like he used to, back when he loved her. She pulled away from him and told him no once more. "If you won't do it for our sake- then do it for Mia. It isn't fair for her to have to grow up without a father."

"She's got William to look up to as a father." Diane challenged, but her attempt at a challenge just made him chuckle softly.

"You know what I mean; she needs her real father around." But when he saw that it wasn't changing her mind, he decided to try a new approach. "If you deny her a permanent home, and a permanent father; then you are a bad mother."

Bad Mother…

Bad Mother….

Bad Mother…

Those two awful words felt like knifes. She wasn't a bad mother, was she? She didn't feel like a bad mother.

"Shut up!" She thrust her hands forward and a puff of smoke sent Siegfried falling back away from her, just long enough for her to run. It wasn't real smoke- It was just a trick of the light, but it made him think it was smoke so she could get away.

She heard laugher in the dressing room where she saw the mirror to Erik's world; it was Mia's laugh. She knocked on the door; and she could hear Mia ask who it was.

"It's momma." Mia opened the door and her mother walked in and saw Erik playing cards with Mia. "Why aren't you with Ginger?"

"She doesn't like me, Erik likes me, and so he's been babysitting me." Mia told her as if it wasn't a big deal. Before long, she got up and pulled her mother down to them and gathered the cards up. "Do the trick Momma! Show Erik the trick!"

"Well, Alright." She set the cards up the way the trick normally goes; Erik picked a card; six of black diamonds. He put it back in the pile; Diane shuffled the cards and before long; the six of black diamonds floated above the deck. "Am I right?"

"Whoa." Erik Commented; watching the card as it hovered over the rest of the cards. "I've never seen cards played like that before."

"It's an amateur trick I learned when I was fourteen. But it's one of Mia's favorites." Mia giggled and asked her to play again. But it seemed like the more time she spent with Erik as a person, and not an angry mother; made her feel more like a bad mother. "That's enough for now Mia. It's time for you to get to sleep."

"But Momma-" Diane gave her the look that said 'now', besides; Mia knew how pointless it was to argue with the 'now' face. "Bye bye Erik." Erik gave her a tiny wave goodbye as they returned to their world and he returned to his. Diane didn't speak the entire way to the room, but when she did speak again; she asked Mia to stay with Ginger and not have Erik baby-sit her. "Why?"

"Because I said so." Diane Answered point blankly. Before long, Mia was sent off to her room and Diane had started letting her hair down; those awful words still echoed in her ears like the crack of fireworks, or the banging of drums in the orchestra. She was _not_ a bad mother-was she?

She moved Mia around to protect her, she wasn't hurting her like Siegfried was; she was a good mother. Before she really had enough time to convince herself that he was wrong; William knocked on the door.

"Come in." Diane told him, William walked in and shut the door behind him. He sat on her bed and watched her take her long red hair and let it flow comfortably. "Is there something I can help you with William?"

"You left pretty fast." He observed. "Is there something wrong?" He realized by Diane's silence that there was something wrong. He moved over to her side and gave her a friendly hug, something he knew she needed. "What Happened Diane?"

"Siegfried- he called me a bad mother." She admitted, leaning her head on his warm shoulder, he was such a good friend to her. But that is all he was, a friend; Diane couldn't ever love him like a husband- she knew him too well as a friend.

"What? Of course you're not a bad mother. You'd do anything to keep Mia safe, and that is a good mother. He's just angry you're finally stepping up and not letting him hurt you again." Diane was glad to hear that from him, but no matter how he said it- she couldn't get herself to stop believing what Siegfried had said. Just like there are two kinds of criminals in the world, there are two kinds of bad parents. The ones who hurt their young and the ones who see them getting hurt but don't do anything about it. She was that kind of person only two years prior, she would watch her daughter get hurt and not do anything about it. "But it's different now." William told her. Apparently she had said all of that aloud and he heard it. "You stopped watching her get hurt, you did something about it. You aren't a bad parent Diane." William was right, he was so right that Diane felt he was wrong.

"I am; I'm hurting her by moving her around. Not all pain is physical." After William did his best to get it through her rather thick head that she was the best mother he'd ever known, she began sobbing on him. He cradled her against him gently, so gently that it almost hurt her. As she sobbed, she could feel him brushing her hair with his fingers and she could hear him telling her that Siegfried was wrong. "Why was I so foolish before? Why had I ever slept with Siegfried?"

"You were in love." William told her, knowing the feeling of being in love; considering he once had a family, a family he loved more than anything. "You were in love with him, and you thought he loved you too."

As Diane cried herself to sleep in William's arms, He knew why he loved Diane, why he wanted to be more than just a dear friend to her. It was because she could love someone-no matter what they'd done to her or what they'd said about her. She loved them, and William loved her.


	7. It's safe when you're alone

**Chapter Seven: **It's safe when you're alone

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

The nights faded from cool streets where children played in the night, to the crisp fall air when children would not want to go out and play, let alone be allowed. Mia had not seen Erik in what felt like forever, her mother had forbade it.

"I do not wish for you to be around him. William has finished unpacking us at last, and is able to watch you now." Mia was not happy about hearing that William had to watch her, although she had nothing against William. Erik just- he didn't talk to her like she was a child. He talked to her as if she was a grown woman, he didn't dumb things down, he treated her like such a lady; and not a child. But what could Mia do? Her mother always got her way when they argued, except leaving Paris, Mia got her way then.

"Can you tell me about Erik?" William asked while tucking Mia into bed during Diane's performance. Mia held onto Alex just as she had back in the warm summer when the air was thick. Mia shook her head.

"He doesn't like me to talk about him, he only doesn't mind when I tell momma. You wouldn't like him anyway." William brushed some hair out of her tiny face, her hair was growing as well; soon enough it would be time for a hair-cut.

"Who says I wouldn't like him?" William asked. Mia replied, saying that Erik said that William wouldn't like him. "Does he really know so much?"

"Mhmm" was her only answer, before turning over and asking William to leave so she could sleep. He gave her a soft pat on the head; as if she was a puppy, and left her alone so she could sleep. He did not wander far; he mostly sat in Diane's room and read one of her books while waiting for her to return. "Sing to me please…" He heard from Mia's room, he stood to open the door slightly, hoping to see who she was talking to. But there was no one; she must have been talking in her sleep.

But Erik was there, he'd hidden until William had closed the door once again; and he could sing to the little girl.

He sang to her, softly so William wouldn't come back; and most of it was in her head. The little girl before him had brought out what Christine had never tried to see; she'd brought out friendliness in him that even he didn't know existed.

"Erik…" Mia spoke half-consciously; the other half was long gone in dreamland. "Can you love my momma?" How was he supposed to respond to that?

"Not any time soon." He told her, part of him wondered why; and most of him knew. He knew that he was incapable of loving someone other than Christine. She would always be his one and only love. "Sleep now Mia." He watched as she made one tiny twitch before losing all consciousness and falling completely asleep.

He made his way back to his world, his dark; lonely world. Only taking one detour to see Diane let an orange drop into one hand at a slow pace; and he tried to point out which patron was Siegfried. He felt silly for trying to point him out; he'd never actually seen the man. But what he saw of Diane was divine; she was elegant; even though she didn't dress in a puffy silk dress or have a fan and a man on her arm. She wasn't like Christine, but Erik wasn't going to let his own mind be deceived by a child's request.

* * *

Diane had to hurry and get ready to leave before Siegfried came back to tell her that she was a bad mother again. Just as she got all of her things packed and ready to head back to her room; she was caught by Siegfried coming from behind her and tapping her on the shoulder.

"What?" Diane snapped, whipping herself around and looking Siegfried in his eyes, the eyes that she once adored.

"I want to take you out, like we used to." But she shook her head. There would be no way in hell she would go back with him; not after what he did.

"What part of "no" don't you understand?" Diane bellowed at him, she wasn't going to keep taking his attempts at rekindling their lost love. It was over between them, and he wouldn't let it go. "I don't love you anymore. I stopped loving you a long time ago, now will you just go away?" Of course he wouldn't, why did she ask something so stupid?

"Listen." His tone was raising, yes. That was the Siegfried she knew, that was the one who fathered her daughter; not the Don Juan he was trying to be. "If you don't give me another chance, you'll live to regret it." But even though at that point, she half expected him to pull a knife on her; she refused to head his bluff. She just gave him a dirty look and left, heading as fast as she could down the halls, her walk turning faster and faster until she was dashing down the halls at the ultimate pace.

"William!" She burst in through the door to her bedroom to see William reading on her bed. She had to lean on the wall to catch her breath a moment; did she really sleep that far from the stage?

"Diane, what happened?" William went down to her side; and immediately held her in his arms, he liked holding her as he did the night she felt like the worst mother possible. It was while she was in his arms that she realized what she needed, what she needed more than anything at the moment.

"I need you to watch Mia for a little longer; I'm going to the roof. I need air you see." William, knowing there was more to it than that- understood that Diane knew what was best for her, so he let her go.

* * *

The crisp night air felt nice on her skin, there was a breeze blowing that made her hair dance a bit; but she didn't notice that much. She was just glad to be away from everyone. Away from all the hurt.

"Mademoiselle Dane?" Wonderful, there was someone wanting either an autograph, or to threaten her livelihood and make her wish she never married or had children at all.

"What?" She sharply asked, that was her nature; she would get so angry and lash out at everyone, and right then, she was angry at everything. At herself, at Siegfried, at her powers and at the world; but when she lifted her head and saw who was talking, that made her angrier.

The man who was talking to her wore a porcline mask that covered half his face, and had jet black hair sliding over his head. Around his shoulders was a cape, and by now you can probably guess who it was. "Monsieur Erik?"

"Why are you not below?" Erik asked as if it was some of his business. "You do not seem like the type who would come up here just to be alone."

"I like to be alone." She told him, sitting on the side of the roof and leaning her back against the wall leading down to the opera house. "It's safe when you're alone."

"Because no one can hurt you." Erik added without completely knowing, when he realized he spoke, he looked at Diane; who was nodding with what he said. "Who, might I ask; is trying to hurt you?"

"I do not see how that is any of your business monsieur." Diane spoke with ice in her tone, and pain in her eyes. Erik leaned against the statue closest to her, and began talking as if she cared.

"This is the one place in the opera house I can tolerate." Said Erik. "It's far away from everyone else; it's a good place to clear your head."

"That's why I chose to come up here." Diane told him, letting one leg dangle off the side, and her view go towards the city. "Erik, have you ever feared someone? I mean-"

"I know what you mean." Erik told her as he was nodding. "I've feared people for my whole life. They've been nothing but cruel. Who- might I ask- do you fear?"

"My husband." She told him, almost as if she was ashamed, and she was. She couldn't be afraid of someone she'd married. "He wants me to go back to him. But I know what he did to Mia and I, and I don't want to go through that again; I don't want to lose my baby."

"So why are you afraid?" Erik asked, he couldn't help himself but keep asking her questions.

"Tonight he said that if I didn't agree to go back with him, and let him "Purify"" she used air quotes when she said "Purify" "me, then I'll _live to regret it_." He could hear in her voice that just speaking about it was hurting her. "I'm starting to regret so much recently. I regret ever falling for him, for ever sleeping with him. For giving birth to his child; but I don't regret taking Mia with me. I may hate him, but Mia isn't him." Erik nodded with what she was saying, but he kept his distance from her.

"If something does happen." Erik began after a long silence. "You and Mia can come down to my home and stay with me until it blows over." Diane watched him a minute, he seemed to be completely unhappy; but at the same time he was embarrassed at having invited them to stay with him until Siegfried was gone. Diane watched him for a while longer before smiling and saying:

"Or perhaps, if we just need to get away?" Erik didn't look at her; he didn't want to look at her. He didn't need people around him, hell, he didn't need people.

"Just if it's necessary." Erik answered coldly; Diane was half-embarrassed about what she'd asked, but the other part of her was glad he'd said it. When she looked back at Erik, he was gone.


	8. The kind of life he’s known

**Chapter Eight: **The kind of life he's known

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Erik didn't want to be around Diane. All she would do was deepen the wounds Christine had given him; she was a nice- pretty woman with a bright child. But he didn't want to be around her, or her daughter, any longer. Since then, he'd stayed as far away from them as he could. He no longer sang to Mia to sleep, he no longer watched over her like the angel he once was thought to be.

He wasn't happy in his solitude. But he was glad to be in his otherwise dark world where only his opinion mattered, where his imagination was his only companion.

What did he do to deserve a life such as this? Did he do something awful in a past life that caused him to be condemned to such horrible fate? Oh how he wished he knew the answers to these questions, and many more that plagued him during the nights.

Why did the world hate him so much? Why was his face such a large deal to such a large group of people? He would have grown to be just as much a person as anyone else- if only they'd listened. If only they heard as the outcasts hear.

Erik snickered to himself and went to the side of his one true friend- the organ. It was the only thing that was there for him, the only thing that had caught his tears during the last four years after Christine left, and after he'd been pushed to the point of no return.

The organ understood him, it knew that Erik was a lonely person, lost in solitude; shunned by the multitude. The organ heard as the outcasts hear.

He couldn't entirely tell if he'd lost his mind, because his sanity was in the mask, if he mask was gone- there would be nothing keeping him tied to the reality of his own personal hell. He'd been condemned to death in the hell hole he'd been locked in for twenty six years. He was only thirty- and he felt as if he'd lived millions of years.

Each day ticked by slowly, so slowly that it was almost painful. It was like being stuck in an algebra class with a teacher who talks so slowly and was making it sound so difficult- and the only freedom was the buzzing of the school bell which wouldn't come fast enough. That was what every day was like for him.

"Hello Organ." Erik spoke softly, tapping a few keys and getting wrapped in the sound, playing Mozart's Moonlight Sonata and letting his fingers do the work. All he did was listening to the sounds the organ made; that was all he ever had to do.

But it was comforting.

He was truly happy when he was playing his music, no matter what it was, no matter how depressing the tune- he was completely happy with what he was doing. It was the only thing that gave him pleasure, but no the kind of pleasure only Christine could give him. Not sexual pleasure.

Erik finished the piece, and when he realized it was done, he started to sob; just as he'd done many times before. Those all too familiar tears trickled down his face and dripped off his chin, why did he have to hurt so badly before Satan would take him away to the flaming hell he was sure to go to?

He wiped off his own tears and went to lie in the swan-shaped bed. That was what he always did, play music for a few hours, eat, and then go to sleep; he didn't have much will power to do much of anything else. Not that there was all that much he _could_ do.

Everything made him feel so empty inside; it was almost as if he was hollow- most of him was missing, and he feared it would remain lost.

He pulled a book out of one of the shelves on his way to bed; it couldn't hurt to read a bit before bed could it? Maybe it would give his mind another pond to swim in for a while.

He opened the book and began reading. It was a fool's tale of love and romance, of true love conquering all. For him, Love didn't exist, it was a frame of mind which he'd felt before; and never wanted to feel again. He dropped the book and closed his eyes, all of it was so horrible that he could not stand; why did he deserve to be treated like a raccoon with rabies?

It was probably for the best, he would have just ended up hurting Mia. She would be exposed to a whole new world of pain and suffering; a world a four-year-old shouldn't know.

This is the kind of life that he's known.

**

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**A short little chappie about Erik. I think it turned out pretty well.**

**eck...my airconditoner broke and now it's freaking hot in my house. We had to stay at a hotel last night cause it was so unbearbly hot. If we can't stay at one tonight, I'm _definantly_ going to spend the night at my cousin's house. O.O I can't wait to get it fixed...again...**

**Thanks for all 12 of my reviews guyz! Ya'll rock!!!! **


	9. heard as the outcasts hear

**Chapter Nine: **heard as the outcasts hear

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Diane had been woken from her sleep in the middle of the night. She could have sworn she heard sobbing; but when she looked in on Mia, there was no sobbing. She was sleeping soundly; just as she should have been.

Who could be sobbing so loud that she could hear them? It couldn't have been William, he had a room all the way across the building. Who could it have been?

She shook her head and lied back down on her bed, the sobbing was the person's own business. She had no right to pry, especially when most of her didn't care.

Why should she care? When she wept, they didn't care enough to see if she was alright-well-William did, but he was her friend. Odds were, that none of them were her "Friends".

But she couldn't help but wonder who it was that was doing the crying. Whoever it was obviously feeling some sort of-of-pain, and judging by the weeping, a great deal of it.

She couldn't figure out who it might be, before she shut her eyes and fell into a deep sleep that would be dreamless, and uninterrupted until morning when Mia jumped on her bed and told her to wake up.

"Good morning darling." Diane stretched her arms and started getting out of bed. Mia left to get out of her night gown and into her dress while her mother too, got ready. Diane dressed herself in her normal attire, and let her hair down. That night was an opera performance, and Diane would have the night off to take care of Mia.

When Mia came back from her bedroom, wearing her adorable little gown; Diane asked her what she wanted to do that day. Mia looked at her with bright eyes and said:

"Anything I want?"

"Anything"

"I want to see Erik." She couldn't say she was surprised to hear that Mia wanted to see Erik. He was a friend in her eyes, but not in Diane's.

"Mia- you know you can't." Diane argued gently. But Mia had facts on her side, facts that would help greatly.

"You said _anything_."

* * *

"Erik!" he was surprised none the less to hear his name; and he was even more surprised to see Diane carrying Mia through the water.

"How do you keep getting down here?" Erik asked, crossing his arms. Diane gave a light smile and said:

"A few lucky guesses here and there." Erik rolled his eyes and saw that, once Diane had stepped onto the land, Mia squirmed out of her arms and ran over to hug him. Why was it that a child adored him more than his own parents?

Mia let him go and spotted his Ill muto figurines, and immediately asked Erik if he would play dolls with her.

"They really aren't for playing-" but she gave him that sweet, innocent, puppy dog look that most little girls (Or children in general) seem to know. Being so new around a child- Erik fell for it like a ton of bricks. "But I suppose it can't hurt." Mia grinned as she trotted over to where the set was, picked it up, and set it on the floor. She seemed completely occupied playing with what was never actually meant to be played with. Mia fixed up the figurines the way she wanted them, and then looked at Erik and her mother; and then asked them to play with her.

* * *

After a few hours, Mia yawned a little. It wasn't too late in the afternoon; and it was around the time she usually would retire for her nap. Diane lifted Mia off the floor and held her up with her hip.

"Monsieur Erik- you don't mind if Mia takes her nap do you?" Erik shook his head, signaling to Diane that it indeed was fine with him. Diane took Mia into Erik's bedroom and made her comfortable on his bed. But when she returned to the main room, she saw he was no longer there.

* * *

He had to retreat to the rooftop; the mere thought of being alone with Diane frightened him and made him need to leave. But as he moved along the rooftop, he saw the scene from four years ago unfold before his eyes.

"_I must go; they'll wonder where I am."_ Her voice sang; he could hear it ringing in his ears; would the memory of Christine ever cease? _"Come with me Raoul."_

"_Christine I love you." _

"_Order your fine horses; be with them at the door"_

"_And soon you'll be beside me."_

"_You'll guard me and you'll guide me."_

Though it had been years ago, it haunted him like a very bad dream; the memory would never fade, it would always be as clear as it was the day it happened.

"I gave you my music…" Erik sang to himself quietly, while the scene played out in front of him. "Made your song take wing, and now you've repaid me. Denied me and betrayed me." The crisp air of the afternoon brought forth tears and a fresh wound in his heart. She was the first woman he ever loved; he worshiped her, and did all he could to be with her. No matter how much it hurt, he couldn't bring himself to get rid of the charcoal sketches of her, the paintings or the figurines of his beloved Christine. "He was bound to love you, when he heard you sing." He choked and curled up against the wall, as if he had shriveled. "Christine…"

_Say you'll share with me one love…one lifetime…_

_Say the words and I will follow you…_

_Share each day with me each night, each morning…_

His already fragile heart was being crushed under the tremendous weight of the memories. The way they beat his heart down like he was beaten while at the carnival.

At that point, he couldn't decide what was worse; being alone with Diane, or being crushed under the weight of the remorse and bitterness. Probably being with Diane, because when he was alone; he was free to cry and not be questioned on why.

He returned to the lair over an hour after he stopped crying; and saw Diane waiting for his return and for Mia's waking.

"Leave." Erik spoke tonelessly. He'd lost the sudden burst of generosity that had come from the child; gone and never to return. "Get Mia and don't come back."

Diane didn't argue with him, she just took Mia off the silk bed and allowed Erik to take them back to the surface; perhaps it was for the best that they no longer see one another.


	10. Civil Blood makes civil hands unclean

**Chapter Ten: **Civil blood makes civil hands unclean

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

"Erik!" His mother called, Erik loved his mother, and she was such a sweet woman. He was very young when he lived with her; probably around Mia's age, if not a few years older. His father had abandon them shortly after his birth; his shame too great to stay. But they didn't need him; Erik's mother cared for him with nothing but love and sweetness. "Honey look, I made you something." Erik was a bright child, almost the complete opposite of what he grew up to be. He hung onto his mother's apron strings so to speak, with a great grip. She couldn't ever leave him; he needed and depended on her far too much.

He smiled when his mother handed him his very first mask. He'd not been allowed at school because of his face; so his mother had to home-school him. But that was fine, he didn't need the other children pushing him down and mocking him because of how he was. His mother always told him not to be ashamed of what he looked like, because it was in his soul where the true beauty lays.

It was a small mask made of white cloth, but it was beautiful in his eyes. It had taken his mother a while after his birth to be able to look at him in the face, but she would spend entire nights, just staring at his face; knowing that the longer she starred, the shorter time it would bother her.

After he put the mask on, his mother smiled brightly and warmly at him. "You look very handsome Erik, now; do you want to help me with dinner?" Erik nodded eagerly and followed his mother into the kitchen to help her with the dinner. Dinner wasn't big, just enough for the two of them; but it was an important part in their everyday life. That was where he would show his mother the painting he did in his room that day, and he would ask her questions about the world. About how certain things worked and why it was that he was hated so much by people he didn't even know.

His mother was even his first music teacher, playing the piano for him while he sang his scales. She was the greatest woman in the world to him; and she wanted to hang onto him for as long as he would allow her to. She wanted to be able to hold her son while he cried, and she wanted to stroke his hair and sing him to sleep. She wanted to take care of him and teach him that it wouldn't be the end of the world if he allowed someone into his heart. Should worse come to worse, it would heal and he would move on; she wanted to take care of him.

He never did go to school like everyone else, and once while running errands with his mother; he realized the true reason why he refused to go.

"Erik honey, please don't wander off." Erik nodded as he walked into the store with his mother; he clung to her gown as they walked through the store, picking out the things they needed; and Erik picking out a sweet-treat for himself.

Near them, Erik could hear two men laughing at his mother. He could hear them gossiping about how she could never find a husband; being forever branded by the child with half a face.

Their words were cruel, they joked about how her loins must have been infected somehow to produce a monster such as Erik. They cut so deep that Erik lost his temper, a temper he quickly learned that he even had.

"Shut up!" Erik bellowed at them as loud as his tiny lungs would allow. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Erik's mother turned to face her flabbergasted son, whom was turning red in the face with anger. The two men faced the angry boy as he had to be restrained by his mother from attempting to pummel them to a pulp. "Stop saying those awful things about her! There isn't anything wrong with my momma or me!"

"Erik!" his mother pulled him back completely and asked him to behave himself. But he refused his mother's request for the first time in his short years.

"My momma is not branded!" Erik screamed, thrashing about like an angry cat. "She can still find a husband! I'm not a monster and nothing is wrong with my momma so shut up!"

"Erik!" His mother bellowed for the final time, lifting him off the ground and apologizing to the two men for her son's behavior. But when she wasn't looking, Erik gave the two men an obscene gesture that he would soon learn was not the worst that he could do.

They returned home and his mother was more than angry at him. She scolded him for his misbehavior, and most of all for not keeping himself under control.

"People don't understand us Erik. We aren't like them, you and I are artistic. We see the world with a different view." Erik looked into his mother's eyes, those eyes that mirrored his almost exactly, and then began to cry into her apron.

"Why momma, why do they look at us and see us as monsters? Perhaps if not for me, you would still have father with you. He would never have run away from you." She wrapped her arms around her child's body, holding him as close as she could, attempting to sooth his cries, and assure him that was not the case.

"Then I say good riddance to him. You are not a monster Erik, you are my son; and I love you. If I must choose between you and your father, I would choose you every time." Erik sobbed harder into his mother's apron, as if hearing her love for him stung worse than anything he could think of. He couldn't defend her, or make those men pay for what they did; could he?

"Momma, I love you too; please let me protect you from them."

"No need my son, actions speak louder than words; and by doing nothing, you have shown that you are far more mature than them." But he wasn't satisfied with that answer alone. After supposedly going to bed early, Erik filled his bed with his toys to create a child's frame under the blankets, then climbed out the window beside his bed and made his way into town alone.

He found the two men walking into their apartment building, and he could still hear the taunting and mocking ring through his head like a blasted bell. No one would talk that way about someone he loved. He would never allow his mother's honor and good name to be soiled like that. His mother was far too good to him to even be considered anything they said, she loved him when he knew that no one else would.

He trotted along behind them as quiet as he could be, watching them go up a flight of stairs, then into their apartment. Once inside, Erik watched the two men open a bottle of brandy and laugh about the foolish child that had threatened them. Oh how foolish he was to challenge those who outrank him in so many areas, social class, manners, and most of all; appearance. They chuckled at how the child was so unbelievably ugly; so horrible and unlovable, and how his mother must not have had high standards in order to fornicate with the father.

All of it boiled Erik's blood, how dare they speak of his mother in such a barbaric manner, how _dare_ they!

His hands pulled the curtain rope until it had completely left the silk curtain, and had found a new home around the neck of one of the men. Pulling as hard as he could; Erik strangled the life out of only one man, while the other left for the police.

Erik dashed out of the apartment and back into his house, quickly; he pushed the toys out of his bed and replaced them with his body. Quickly taking his mask off and trying to calm the speed of his heart; he'd taken his first life, how could his mother ever love him after what he did?

Tears fell from his eyes as the face of his victim haunted him; it hurt him so much that he crawled out of bed and ran to his mother, who was lying in her own otherwise empty marriage bed; reading a book.

"Honey, what's wrong?" His mother asked as she lifted him off the floor and sat him on her lap. He was absolutely shaken; it was not just a bad dream, he'd done something bad; so bad that it caused him to lose all hope of sleep for the longest time. "What happened?"

"I killed him!" Erik cried, his breath was so tight that it caused a rough cry; which eventually erupted in a cough. "Momma I killed one of the men in the market, the ones who mocked us. I strangled him with a rope, please don't think I'm being ridiculous mother; I'm so sorry. I wish I hadn't, I wasn't thinking; please mother, make it all go away." His mother didn't think he was ridiculous, she believed him and feared for him, but not of him.

"I can't make it disappear Erik, I want to but I can't. But I will protect you my angel, you will not take this judgment alone." She could hear the faint noise of the mob, coming to burn the house down and destroy what little happiness Erik knew. To destroy the only woman in the world who would protect him. "Come child, sit here." Erik sat in his mother's lap, his head resting against her shoulder. "I want to say some things before we go. I want you to know that the world is not all bad, there is much more good in it, you'll find it if you look hard enough." Erik nodded, absorbing what his mother had said, she continued, stroking his hair and her breath gently relaxing him, as if she was trying to put him to sleep. "Also, It takes courage to allow people to care for you Erik. Do not push away an attempt at happiness because of what happened tonight, or what will probably happen in the future. I want my son to meet a beautiful woman who loves him; who knows him and respects him." She went on until she could feel the weight of her son become completely still; she looked down and saw him sleeping soundly against her.

Erik opened his eyes and saw that he was under the floorboards in his home, which worked as a cellar most of the time, but that time; it was a safe house.

He went to the small step-ladder and pushed the floorboard open, but what he saw caught the wind in his throat.

Their home, the home his mother prided herself in; the home where Erik was conceived, born, and raised had been burnt to the ground; with nothing left but ashes and smoke rising to the heavens.

"Mother?" He spoke weakly, his pale face quickly becoming stained with the dark charcoal that choked the air around him. "Momma?"

He saw his mother, burned alive in her bed.


	11. The voice from nowhere

**Chapter Eleven: **The voice from nowhere

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

"I cannot stand this!" Carlotta bellowed at the managers, while they followed her as she huffed about the room. She had not grown to like the arrangements that had been made because of Diane Dane. She disliked being worshiped only every other day; instead of every day. "That little hussy tromps around here like she's the prima Donna!"

"In all fairness La Carlotta" M. Charles stuttered while trying to calm her down with extravagant gifts. "S-She is bringing in a large amount of money, so she's doing the charity she was brought here to do. She'll be able to leave in a year or so."

"A _year_!?" Carlotta screeched, stomping her foot and breaking the heel on her shoe. "I will not wait a year for that little strumpet to leave!"

"Who are you calling a strumpet?" Carlotta, M. Charles, and M. Mace turned completely around to see Diane standing with her arms crossed under her breasts and her eyes narrowed at the Opera diva. "I do not sleep with every new Patron so I can get the lead, do I?"

"You've got a child." Carlotta hissed unfairly. "And no husband, but he is not dead."

"So? I wasn't happy in my marriage, big deal."

"And the way you _dress_!" Carlotta raved on. "You would look like a man if it wasn't for your breasts!" Diane blushed a little, and moved her arms to cover her breasts, in an attempt to be subtle. "Dear Mademoiselle Dane, if I were you, I would hold onto that little tart of yours tightly, because once she leaves the nest, you'll be all alone."

"Why do you say that? I'm young, I can still be married. It isn't as if I'm off the market because I've got a child." Diane had a quiver to her voice, part of her knew that Carlotta was right; but the other part knew she wasn't.

"It isn't the child that brands you. It's your manliness. You are not the ideal French woman. You do not wear a gown; nor do you have a fan or any musical talent."

Diane opened her mouth to speak, knowing that she had to have something witty to say; but nothing came to mind. She would have looked foolish, should the stage hand not dropped the backdrop on Carlotta and nailed her to the floor.

In haste, Diane escaped while everyone was fussing over Carlotta. But as she made her way down the halls and in search of somewhere to hide out until the whole thing blew over, she had to pause and realize that Carlotta was right.

French men wanted ideal French women. They needed to wear dresses and have their lungs crushed by corsets. They had to fan themselves every fifteen minutes; and worst of all- they had to be able to act a certain way.

Diane couldn't do any of that. She disliked corsets too much to even think of wearing one, skirts made her feel completely naked, and fans made her lips dry. She acted how she wanted to act during the given moment, and she had no musical talents. Sure, she could sing Mia to sleep; but lately she wasn't the only one with that ability, and by the time she got back from a show; Mia had already been sung to sleep.

"Carlotta cannot act." A voice came, causing Diane to jump and twirl around. "She's a strumpet and is wrong about the ideal French woman." No face came to the voice, which drove Diane insane. She needed to see the face to know if the voice was one to be trusted, but when no face came; she only replied:

"Who's there?"

"The ideal woman does not exist, some men like myself prefer artistic, open women. While men like the late Piangi prefer spot-light stealing, pampered poodle of a woman like Carlotta." She spun around as the voice spoke, she almost didn't catch the moral of his speech. But the voice went on as if he had a face to show her. "Believe me when I say that changing who you are, for someone else, is not something you should teach your daughter."

"Tell me who you are!" Diane ordered once more, louder and angrier.

"I am the one who crushed Carlotta under the backdrop. Putting an end to her web of lies."

"How can you be so sure Monsieur? You are not a woman." Diane decided to argue with the faceless voice. "I'm sorry to say that Carlotta is right, and you are wrong."

"How so?" The voice asked, it almost sounded as if it amused him to hear that Diane didn't believe him.

"How many men do you see with a woman in pants and men's shirts on their arms? Do you know many women who can fight with swords as well as any man?"

"I do not know many people in general Mademoiselle. So I would have to say, none. But that does not mean they do not exist." The voice replied. "I traveled the world Mademoiselle. I've seen stranger things than a woman in men's wear. In fact, your costume looks a little like what little Giry wore during the production of Don Juan."

"Why are you saying this Monsieur? Why do you mind if Carlotta speaks of me in such a manner?" Then, came the silence. Such a long silence that Diane had to ask: "Are you there Monsieur?"

"Because, the way you spoke of yourself. The way you said 'I'm young, I can still be married. It isn't as if I'm off the market because I've got a child' reminded me of someone I once cared for." It sounded as if the voice was in pain telling her the truth about why he cared. "I was not always a ghost mademoiselle. If it were not for my face; I would be like most men. I had a mother, and she never spoke ill of me." But the voice stopped, released a soft breath and continued. "I'm sorry Mademoiselle. I cannot tell my tale here."

"Then tell me where!" Diane begged, almost too eagerly actually. "I want to see your face Monsieur." The voice fell into silence, before she heard the sound of sad laughing.

"My face…Mademoiselle, my face is not meant to be seen by the world. My face caused me to lose all hope of having a normal life. My soul is distorted Mademoiselle. You could never find a way for me to redeem myself."

"I believe a man can change if he wants to." Diane said to him gently. "If you want to change Monsieur, I give my best of luck to you. Please Monsieur, let us meet and talk like adults." Silence followed once more, the voice weighed the pros and cons of talking to Diane to her face. Most of the cons were making himself vulnerable to the pain he had already experienced once before, and fear of her wanting to help him.

"I don't think so Mademoiselle. It would be best for all involved if we never had this conversation." Then, as she tried to get the voice to talk to her, she realized it was truly gone.

* * *

**I was thinking about redoing this fic, but after thinking about it- it would turn out just the same as it is now. So I'm not. I just thought ya'll should know. yay me! I got my A/c fixed! Its not hot in here anymore!!!!! WOOOOO!!!!!**

**But yeah, I always figured that Carlotta and Diane would clash, Carlotta being a woman of-well-her attitude and dislike for attention-stealers.**


	12. Ice dance

**Chapter Twelve:** Ice dance

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Was it bad to want him back? Diane lie awake at night starring into the darkness, thinking to herself; was it so awful to try and make things work between her and Siegfried? 

Things could go back to the way they used to be. She and Siegfried could take care of Mia, and hopefully with a new love burning for one another. They could try and make their marriage work. Maybe now that he knew that she would leave if he mistreated her; he would work harder to keep her with him.

No they couldn't. Things could never be like they once were. She knew her husband far too well to even convince herself that it would be alright.

The parade of thoughts in her head caused her to toss and turn until she could stand it no longer and went to fetch William to watch Mia while Diane went to get her head together.

* * *

Erik too, was having trouble sleeping. He never had much difficulty with sleeping, most of it came so naturally that he didn't notice when it came and left; but that night was different. That night, the hours in his bed seemed to tick by so slowly that it frustrated him. 

He reached the rooftop, in high hopes that the icy night air would calm his restless mind and sooth him into a state of, at least, tiredness. But as he got onto the roof, he saw Diane dancing in the falling snow.

She spun, she twirled, and she did everything that the ballet girls did on stage. The snow fell against her red hair and contrasted against her black pants. He couldn't help himself but watch her dance in the ice; and think to himself, what could she be doing up on the roof at this hour?

The falling snow clung to her clothes as she danced, in a way that made Erik wonder if she felt the cold water that appeared when the snow melted by her body heat. For some odd reason, her lips seemed rosier in contrast to the snow, and her face had a sort of- pinkish rose color to it's normal paleness.

Diane's gentle glides ceased when she noticed Erik had been observing her with questions in his eyes. Instead of asking why he had been watching her, and instead of feeling embarrassed, all she did was hold out her tiny, fragile hand to him.

He watched it for a moment; he may have looked like a frightened cat. He found his hiding place, and refused to come out. But as the smile on her face didn't fade, he felt himself go forward and place his hand in her palm.

"What are you doing out here so late?" Diane asked, although what may have stunned Erik the most was the fact that she wasn't angry with him or anything. Usually when they met without Mia around, they got into an argument of some kind.

"I could ask you the same question." Erik replied accusingly, lifting his hand out of her's, leaving himself just standing near her.

"I couldn't sleep." She admitted sheepishly. "Too many unpleasant thoughts in my head. What about you?"

"Sleep didn't come for me either." His voice was not sheepish like her's; he was blunt, and confident in his answer. Diane just smiled and released his palm.

"I think it's awful." Diane began. "When one can't even find sanctuary in their own dreams. Reality itself is frightening, but it's worse when the one place where someone thinks they can be safe; turns on them. When dreaming becomes scarier than reality. Don't you think Monsieur?"

"I do." Erik replied bluntly, keeping as much distance from her as he could.

"Are you always so distant Monsieur?"

"I am." Erik replied just as bluntly as before. He was defiantly not interested in having a conversation. Diane went over to a statue and brushed the snow off of it; as if the substance interested her.

"Did you grow up around snow?" Diane asked him another question. Erik glanced downwards towards the white powder on the roof, and nodded.

"I did." Was his only reply. "The way you danced in the snow, I'd guess you didn't." Diane shook her head.

"Nope, I grew up in a place where it never snowed, it would be cold enough for snow; but it would never come." She admitted to him, before leaning against a statue and allowing the ice to cling to her clothing. Before long, she let out a tiny sneeze.

"How long have you been up here?"

"I'm not sure, probably about an hour or so." As she finished her sentence, the silence between them grew; and during the silence, Diane saw Erik taking his cloak off, and eventually tossing it to her. She caught it just before it hit the snow, and wrapped it around her arms. Even though it was a silk cloak, the inside was warm and soft. "Erik, Can I talk to you?"

"You were just talking to me, weren't you?" Erik answered her question with one of his own, which actually confused her. Until she answered his question, she realized the answer to her own. "I won't open up to you though."

"I don't expect you to. I'm the one who needs to talk to somebody." She watched Erik as he waited for her story to begin, what she said almost sounded- rude. "I-I told you about my husband, didn't I?" Erik nodded; he was leaning on a statue across from Diane's, keeping his distance from her. Even though he'd allowed her to confide in him, he did not want to be too close to her. "Lately, I've been thinking about what it would be like if- if I went back with him." It felt so strange to say it aloud, but she had a feeling Erik wouldn't judge her like William would. She didn't need judgment. "I-I mean, Maybe since I did run away, he'd be more inclined to take better care of me?"

"Men like him don't change." Erik told her fairly. "If he hit you once, he'll do it again." Diane glanced up from the snow and towards Erik, whom wasn't looking at her, she could see his eyes directing as far from her as they could go. "Do you still love him?"

"At this point Monsieur, I don't know. I mean, I know what he did to me and Mia; I know how awful he was to the both of us, but I can't help but try to forgive him. I want to see the man I married, not this one. The one who hates me for what makes me special." Erik nodded at her, even if he wasn't looking at her; he was listening.

"No one can make this choice for you Mademoiselle. But, I think you can do better." That was the nicest thing Erik had ever said to her. He usually found something rude or mean to say to her, but saying that she could do better was the nicest thing she ever heard come from his mouth. When he directed his eyes back to Diane, just to see the expression on her face to so he would know what to prepare for, he was completely surprised to see her wiping away trickles of tears from her cheeks. "Mademoiselle…"

"I'm such an awful mother!" She cried, not caring if he was listening or not. If she could only admit it to herself, then she would be able to attempt at working past it. "An awful, awful mother!"

"Mademoiselle-" But Diane cut him off. She was growing from silent tears to complete hysteria.

"I just stood by and watched him do those things to her. I could have done so much to help her but I didn't! I could have hit him back; I could have stopped him before he kicked her down the stairs or stopped him from slamming her fingers in the drawer! But I didn't! I'm such an awful parent!" Erik went over to her and smacked her across the face, it wasn't until two seconds after he slapped her that he was given a look of complete dismay.

"I'm sorry, but you were being both ridiculous and Hysterical. Do you ever think any of this through entirely? Hitting him back would only have made him angrier, and then he would have _killed_ her. Did you ever really know when he was going to do those things? Had you known in advance, I trust you would have stopped him. Mademoiselle, you're not a bad mother. I've seen women who would make bad mothers, and you are not one." It took him a while to convince her, if just for that one time, that she was not a bad mother. After she talked some more with him, she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders, he was nice- because he didn't judge her. He gave his insight, and let her think what she would. As Diane handed him his cloak, she spoke again.

"Monsieur, thank you for listening." Diane began, just as he took his leave, Diane stopped him. "I-I was thinking-" Erik stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, face to mask. "That maybe you'd like to come see the opera with Mia and me at the end of the week? It's _King Lear_." Erik crossed his arms and tried to act bad-ass, but inside he was glad to have been invited somewhere. Glad and- shocked.

"Perhaps I will." Erik began. "Or perhaps I won't. It depends on how I feel that day." He waited for Diane to fume, and then it came.

"If you're going to be a jerk about it then forget it! It's a yes or no question Monsieur." Diane snapped at him, which completely killed the nice feeling of confidence they'd gotten. That killed it dead. Erik tried not to laugh, but the look on her face was priceless!

"I will be in a specific box that night." Erik told her, just toying with her at that point. "The number of the box is more than three, but less than seven. If you buy tickets to the right box- then we will spend the evening together watching the opera."

"...and if I don't?"

"Then we won't." It may have been in him to ruin the sad moment they'd made, it may have been needed to kill the sadness that had been brought upon them on that cold night, but whatever it was; Erik went to bed that night, thinking about the night at the end of the week; while Diane went to bed figuring out the number that is more than three but less than seven.

**

* * *

**

**I don't know, I just thought Erik would be the kind of guy to totally kill an Emo moment like that. Plus- the joke was in me and I couldn't keep him from being a funny jerk.**

**_NOTE:_ This chapter is better expiranced by listening to "Ice dance" from Edward Sissorhands. **


	13. King Lear

**Chapter Thirteen:** King Lear

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

The puzzle wasn't really all that hard to solve. But hard puzzle or not, Diane bought Mia and herself tickets to box Five. Where, just as he promised, Erik sat waiting. The second Mia saw Erik; she took her hand away from her mother's and crawled into Erik's lap. 

"Your clues weren't hard to figure out." Diane told him as she took her seat in the seat beside his. Erik smirked and watched her sit down.

"I know." Diane gave him a tiny smile before opening the program she was given and reading the cast list.

"Carlotta is playing Cordelia." Diane said to him, which caught his attention, and she could see in his eyes that he was trying to suppress a hard laugh.

"_Carlotta_?" He asked, trying to hide his both astonishment and laughter. "Playing King Lear's daughter who is the symbol of virtue and mercy?" Before long, the mere idea was too much and he had to laugh just a little. Carlotta was better suited as one of the other sisters, Regan or Goneril. "This play has just become a comedy instead of a tragedy."

"Agreed." Diane replied as she read on in the cast list, Regan and Goneril were played by Meg Giry and some other ballet girl by the name of Stella. This was even more humorous, because Meg Giry stuck Diane as the kind of girl to play Cordelia. Erik, after lifting Mia up and searching through the box a little, gave the little child a box of cherry cordials.

"Enjoy them." He said simply as Mia opened the box and bit into the first one. Such a sweet taste, and as Erik expected Diane to get angry with him for giving candy to her daughter, she just smiled and asked Mia to hand her one.

The curtain opened to the man playing King Lear, a baritone named Didier, singing to his three daughters.

_Among you three I shall divide my kingdom_

_The largest portion given to the one who can love me most._

_Present your love now my daughters…_

Meg and Stella stepped forward, and with tiny, unopera like voices, they sang.

_Father it is we who love you most. You who has given us life…_

_You who clothed us and fed us, our loves are boundless as the sea…_

_As you age dear father, we will care for you…_

_As good daughters should..._

Then came Carlotta, whose voice rang out over the stage, overshadowing Meg and Stella's tiny voices.

_I can not play you're game_

_It's not what is right_

_Give your kingdom to my sisters, no kingdom is worth it._

_I will only love you as a daughter should…_

Erik glanced down at Mia, whom was watching her first opera contently. Absorbing every word, and every note, while eating her candy. While watching the opera, Erik would send secret glances towards Diane, whom was watching the show just as closely and quietly as her daughter was.

After Regan had been poisoned by Goneril, and Goneril was about to commit suicide after the death of her lover, Erik glanced down at Mia again and saw that she'd rested her head against his chest and fallen asleep. He wasn't sure how long she'd been sleeping, but she looked to be having pleasant dreams.

"Mademoiselle Dane." Erik whispered, grabbing Diane's attention and moving his eyes downwards towards the sleeping Mia. Diane smiled quietly.

"Do you want me to hold her?"

"No, no she's fine. I was just letting you know." Diane nodded and they returned their gazes towards the performance, which was getting more depressing as the time went on.

When it ended with King Lear's death, Erik moved so he could carry Mia comfortably and without waking her. Diane looked surprised to see he was so careful with her daughter; he was so gentle and considerate.

As they walked back to Diane's room, she remembered when Mia would fall asleep downstairs in Siegfried's home; and how he woke Mia up so she could walk herself upstairs. He always treated her like she should have been able to take care of her self; she was so young that there would be no way to take care of herself.

But while she remembered, she also wondered how Erik could be so sweet to Mia, while being locked in the basement of the opera Populaire. Afraid, and all alone.

"You look distracted." Erik brought up as they walked. "Did you not enjoy the opera?"

"I did enjoy it." Diane tried to cover up her distraction with a smile and conversation, something her mother taught her to do. She hated sweeping things under the carpet (so to speak) like her mother taught her, but even though she hated it; it became so natural that she didn't realize she'd done it until it was done. "It was very sad. Meg Giry should have been Cordelia; she seems like that kind of girl." Erik nodded in agreement, still finding it a little funny that Carlotta was the nice daughter. "And Carlotta seems like a Goneril. Poisoning her sister just to get a man."

"She does, But then again, if Christine Daae-" Erik said that name again. Had he really not thought about that name for a whole 4 days? Since he'd talked with Diane the night she cried, his mind had been all over the place, between the organ and the opera. Somewhere on the left of Diane and somewhere on the right of Mia, inside painting and outside writing operas- he'd forgotten the name entirely. Was it because he had something and someone to look forwards to? Something to look forward to maybe, but someone? No. Diane and Erik were not friends, as far as he knew anyway.

"Go on, if Christine Daae-?" That name meant nothing to Diane, she performed for Christine's birthday last month, but that was about it.

"Nothing." Erik needed a lesson from Diane's mother on how to sweep things under the rug, to divert a conversation into a positive way, instead of ending it on a bad note like Erik had a tendency to.

"Well" Diane decided to rescue them from the awkward silence. "Would you like to join Mia and me tomorrow for lunch? Don't be a jerk about answering this time."

"Why not? Where and when?" They reached Diane's room's door, and Erik handed her the sleeping Mia.

"Um, how about we meet out here, and we can go to the cute little café down the street?" Erik paused; she wanted to go _outside_ to lunch? That wouldn't do, not with his reputation.

"Actually, how about you meet me in Christine's old dressing room, and you and Mia can eat where I live?" He couldn't call it a house, because it wasn't, and he couldn't call it a home; because it didn't feel like one. So "Where I live" sounded like the best thing to say at the time. Diane didn't mind though, she just smiled and nodded.

"OK. Tomorrow in Christine's dressing room it is. Now I better get this little one into bed before she wakes up." Erik nodded and bid Diane farewell until the next day, before he was gone, she stopped him. "It's Diane."

"What?" Erik turned to face her, what she said was completely random and odd.

"My name. You called me Mademoiselle Dane before. I want you to call me Diane now." Erik nodded at her.

"Diane it is then." And when he was gone, Diane went into her room; where she saw William standing with his arms crossed.

"Where have you been?" he asked quietly, after seeing Mia was asleep. "And who was he?" Diane took Mia into her room and quietly put her to bed, and once that was completed, she returned to William and his interrogation.

"I was at the opera, and who?"

"You know who! That man you made a lunch date with! I heard you!" Diane put her finger on her lips to signal that he should be quiet. "Who was he?"

"William, as much as a friend you are to me, who I see and make lunch _plans _with, is not your concern unless you plan to congratulate me. By your tone I can tell it is anything but. You don't need to treat me like a child anymore." Her tone was rising, and no matter how much she told herself to keep quiet so Mia would not wake, she was angry with William's distrust.

"Treat you like a child?" William sounded surprised to hear her say that. "I don't treat you like a child! I look out for you Diane. I don't want you to be hurt again."

"And I won't." Diane insisted. "William, in your eyes; no man will be perfect for me until it is you I marry. Besides, Erik is just my friend. I'm a grown woman and am able to have male friends without a marriage proposal!"

"Fine!" William barked back. "I'm not going to look out for you anymore. From now on you're on your own!"


	14. Lunch and William

**Chapter Fourteen:** Lunch and William

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

"Erik!" Mia giggled the next day when Erik lifted her off the floor in a hug. Whenever they meet, Mia always hugs him like she hadn't seen him in ages. Erik lifted her up and held the sliding mirror open for Diane, whom with a smile, walked through.

All she'd been able to think about was William, and how she had hurt him in trying to reason with him. Reasoning was never really one of her strongest points, a fight usually erupted when she attempted to reason. Especially with William.

Mia was talking Erik's ear off, so he didn't notice the distraction in Diane's face. She told him about the dream she had, about how much she liked the opera; and she made him tell her what she missed.

William was a good friend to Diane, and she'd been so mean to him. But it really wasn't any of his business where she was going or what she was doing. She knew that he would never see the good in any man that Diane wanted to be around, unless it was him. He acted more like a big brother, than a secret suitor.

He'd been there when Diane still suffered the wounds of her broken marriage, he took care of Mia when she couldn't even get up enough will power to wake up in the morning, and he held her when she cried. But she didn't want to be with him as a lover, only as a friend.

"Diane?" She snapped back into reality when Erik said her name. He was reaching his hand out to her to help her onto the boat. She smiled and stepped in with his assistance, and held Mia as he used the long stick to push the boat away from one shore and towards the other. That was the only time that she went to his home with out being thigh deep in water most of the way, and trying not to trip on whatever was underneath the surface.

Erik helped the two out of the boat once it had reached his home; and Mia almost instantly went to his figurines, and played opera with them. Diane smiled as Erik tossed his cloak over a chair and went into what served as his kitchen, to make them some lunch.

* * *

William was feeling just as bad about yelling at Diane as she felt about yelling at him. He'd been her shoulder to cry on for two years, and the idea of her having a new shoulder was painful thought. 

He hated watching her be so hurt when they'd first become friends. She cried almost all the time, Mia was afraid to be around her during that time; and she lashed out at the smallest of comments.

One day, she asked William what death would be like as if he knew.

"Don't talk like that." William told her. "We need you here Diane. You're strong Diane, you'll get through this."

"I can't trust again." Diane cried. "How could I think of marrying anyone ever again after what Siegfried did?" William stroked her hair as she let tiny silent tears fall on the large mattrace in the back of their large carriage where they resided while on the road. The walls had various masks they'd collected in souvenir stands.

After two years of mistrust and running, Diane had gone back on her word and had begun to court a man, even if she didn't know it. Even as she saw it as friends having lunch together, that was not what it was.

Diane said he was treating her like a child, but he wasn't. He was protecting her from another two years of tears and talk of death. But in the process, was he also suffocating her and keeping her from being happy?

No. She could be with him and be happy. They could have a great marriage and happily live together in a cute cottage in a field. Like in the romance novels Diane used to read before romance became less of a savior and more of a poison.

* * *

Mia ate gratefully, and Diane plastered a smile upon her face as the child ate her food, and the three made light conversation. Erik was a very good cook, Diane would never be able to make a good lunch like he'd made. Something she hated; was cooking. Not only because she couldn't do it, but because it was hard and there were so many things she had to remember. It was just easier going to restaurants and having them cook for her. She usually got burns when she attempted to cook, and she never thought her cooking was any good; especially since the last time she cooked, she was married to Siegfried and he always called it "Garbage." Or "Dog food." 

It wasn't too long before Mia was down for her nap. Her stomach full and her eyes tired, it was almost like she was a cat. While she napped, Diane read a book in Erik's home, while he did some charcoal sketches.

"You've got something on your mind." Erik told Diane as if he could read her mind. "I noticed a while back when you wouldn't get in the boat. I didn't say anything until now because I didn't want Mia to know. But she's sleeping now, and now I want to know."

"It's nothing Erik. Nothing at all." Lie. She just didn't want to tell him that William was insecure about the two being friends. She'd already bothered him once with her worries and sadness, no need to do it again.

"You had no problems with telling me your problems a few days ago. What changed?"

"Nothing is wrong." She tried not to yell. "I'm fine, everything is fine."

"Say it Diane. I can tell you're dying to get it out into the open." Diane didn't reply, she did want to say what was on her mind, but somehow her mouth wouldn't let her. "Say it."

"William thinks you're courting me." Erik wasn't entirely expecting that kind of an answer. "I told him it was just a lunch between friends, but he didn't buy it. One thing lead to another and now he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore." Diane told him, trying not to get angry at nothing. "He thinks of me as a child, even if he doesn't admit it."

Eventually, Diane had told Erik all about the argument she and William had. Somehow, knowing about William's fear of Erik courting Diane had made him think. Mostly about Christine. "Erik, I suddenly feel tired. Would it be OK If I went to sleep here?"

"Go ahead." Erik said, watching Diane as she stood up, went into the bedroom with the swan bed, and laid down beside her daughter and fell asleep among the silk quickly.

* * *

William stopped by Diane's room to see if she returned, it was nearly dusk and he hadn't heard anything about her. As angry with her as he was; he couldn't help but worry about her. No one was in her room, or Mia's. Where could she have gone? 

_With that man. _His subconscious told him. _She's being seduced by that man. He's going to hurt her. _But just as his thought ended, he went into Diane's room and saw a man in a mask leaning against the door.

"Diane told me about your worries." He began, without so much as a name or an explanation. "You think I'm courting her. I assure you Monsieur, I've no intention to be any more than a friend to her."

"You're Erik." William said coldly. Moving back and groping around for something to hit him with. "The one who sings to Mia at night. The one who has been with Diane."

"You fear I'm taking her from you. Don't you?" Erik asked him, and watched him gently nod. "Don't fear it. It won't happen. Diane is no more to me than a friend; she's safe while in my protection Monsieur, as is Mia." William nodded again, and watched Erik leave, only to disappear into thin air once outside the door.


	15. Compromise

**Chapter Fifteen:** Compromise

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Erik returned and saw Mia quietly and blindly flipping through one of his books. She couldn't read them, but it made her feel grown up to pretend she could. 

"Hey Mia." Erik greeted gently, but before he could ask about Diane, Mia put her finger to her lips.

"Momma is sleeping." He nodded and picked her up off the chair near is Don Juan figurines; sat down, and put her on his lap. "Erik, can you read this to me?"

"Sure." He opened the book; Mia got herself comfortable against him, and let him read. With one hand he held the book, and with the other, he brushed her hair. "In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators the Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail, and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they crossed, there lies a small market-town or rural port, which by some is called Greensburgh, but which is generally and properly known by the name of Tarry Town." Mia listened contently as Erik spoke; his silk voice reading "The legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving" was soothing and nearly put her right back to sleep. She smiled contently as Erik stroked her hair with his hands and almost came off as fatherly. "This name was given, were told, in former days, by the good housewives of the adjacent country, from the inveterate propensity of their husbands to linger about the village tavern on market days. Be that as it may, I do not vouch for the fact, but merely to advert it, for the sake of being precise and authentic. Not far from this village, perhaps about two miles, there is a little valley, or rather lap of land, among high hills, which is one of the quietest places in the world. A small brook glides through it, with just murmur enough to lull one to repose; and the occasional whistle of a quail, or tapping of a woodpecker, is almost the only sound that ever breaks upon the uniform tranquility."

Erik read to her, and as she became more and more relaxed by every word, Erik began to remember those nights his mother would read to him. She would never read childish books to him, she would always read 'grown-up books' as he used to call them. They had big words, and imagery.

Erik had a feeling that Mia would be a writer some day, because she asked about certain words as he read on, what they meant and what the author meant by them. She tried to look past the words and see the world underneath.

They'd probably have kept reading, had two hands not come down on Erik's shoulders, followed by a:

"Boo!" causing him to jerk slightly. He and Mia looked behind him to see Diane smiling and gaining entertainment out of his surprise. "I never thought I could surprise you Erik." He smirked and gave her a dirty look, which she took with gentle, good humor.

* * *

William didn't see Diane again until the next morning, when the first words out of her mouth to him were: 

"I'm sorry." William watched her for a moment, before giving her a tight hug and repeating those same words.

"I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to lash out at you like that; I should have trusted you more." Diane smiled and let him go; it wasn't until a few minutes after the hug that he realized Mia wasn't with her.

"She's with Erik." Diane answered. "He wanted to take care of her for today. He said 'you need to repair things with William. I'll watch her for you.'" That really was what Erik said. He felt she needed to repair things with William before some important bridges get burned.

That day, Diane and William went to the cute Café that she mentioned to Erik, and found a way to give Diane a little more freedom.

"Do you love him?" was William's first question. And her answer was:

"No. He's a friend William. Only a friend, nothing more, nothing less." He liked the answer, so he didn't look anymore into it. That was where they began to compromise. "You don't need to suffocate me William, but you also don't need to Neglect me. I want you with me, but I don't want you getting angry at every man I make plans with. You know Siegfried is the enemy, and that he is the only man you've got right to hate."

So they spoke, they tossed ideas back and forth, and they compromised. By the end of the day, they'd worked out a way for Diane to be friends with Erik, without making William angry or upset.

He was just glad to hear that Erik would never be more to Diane than a friend, he loved her and it was awful to think that he didn't have a chance with her.

**

* * *

**

**Short chapter, but I had to do some editing because I wasn't happy with this chapter. I felt it was rushing things a little. **


	16. Siegfried makes complications

**Chapter Sixteen:** Siegfried makes complications

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Oddly enough, for three weeks after William and Diane came to a compromise and Mia was back on the surface, Diane didn't see or hear from Erik. It was as if he no longer wanted to see them. Diane and Mia didn't ask questions, and William did everything to keep them from bringing it up. 

Diane did her job just as she always did, William baby-sat Mia, everything they did while Erik wasn't around. Their lives progressed as normal.

* * *

Just as their lives progressed, Erik's did too. He sat alone in his lair, and there were numerous reasons why he didn't pay them a visit. One, was because he felt himself growing too open with Diane. He wasn't about to let himself get hurt again. Another, was because the anniversary of the day Christine left him was approaching, and it was all too horrible for him to stand. He couldn't look upon the innocent face of Mia and wonder what he'd be like if Christine had stayed. 

Would he have a daughter as adorable and bright as Mia? He knew he'd have made Christine happy. He couldn't help himself but wonder how she was doing with the Vicomte De Changy. Did he make her happy? Did he make her pregnant? Well, he couldn't imagine why he wouldn't, he worked so damned hard to keep her.

Somehow, the cellar filled with her paintings and figurines was depressing him, so he had to find a reason to get out. He had to find a reason to get away, and the first reason that came to his mind, was to see Diane's show.

* * *

Honestly, he could say he never saw anything like it. Sure, he had to watch it from far above the stage, and he didn't have a good view, but any view was better than the view of his once beloved haunting him. 

Diane was so confident on stage, she gave no hint of stage fright, nor did she hesitate or stutter. She knew her tricks and she knew how to do them right. But while she was confident in her act, she was not over confident in her abilities. She did not have a bragging look after each trick like Carlotta had after each note; she just smiled as if she was glad she didn't mess up, and continued.

The performance was near flawless, and he'd have addressed her after she took her leave off the stage, had a strange man not come up to her. This grabbed Erik's attention at once.

"Diane!" Called Siegfried. Diane rolled her eyes agonizingly and turned to face her ex, whom addressed her. "Beautiful performance."

"Leave me alone." Diane told him, trying not to sound desperate for his leave. "Why do you keep coming back? You didn't like me when we were married; you hated Mia, why don't you just leave?"

"Because I love you." Erik watched quietly, trying to decide what to make of this. Was he angry at the man for loving Diane? Was he angry at the man for bothering her? Or was he angry at the man for hurting her? No matter which way he went, he hated the man. That he knew was true.

"No you don't." Diane told him. "You don't love me Siegfried, that's why you hit me and Mia."

"I still love you Diane, you've always got a place in my heart."

"And I had a mind once to give you mine." She said in a rush, but then sighed. "I considered being with you again, but a very wise friend talked me out of it. He gave me good advice and I thank him from keeping me from making a stupid mistake." Erik watched contently, wanting to get a better view without getting noticed, but there was no way for that. "Just- leave."

"Diane-"

"GO!" He didn't leave, but Diane did. She looked almost like Carlotta as she refused to listen to Siegfried and stormed away. It was as if she had temporarily been given Carlotta's brain and Siegfried was the managers.

* * *

Diane sat on a chair in front of her vanity, fixing her hair for bed. Somehow, that night seemed sadder than the nights prior. She had admitted to Siegfried that she at one point did want to go back with him. But it was over, and until her next performance, she would not have to deal with him. 

"Momma." She turned her head towards Mia's door, and saw her standing timidly in her little night gown and holding out a brush. "Can you help?"

"Of course princess." Diane had also been wearing her night clothes, a long, white silk night gown that fit comfortably around her. Mia sat on her bed while she sat behind her and begun to brush her long hair.

"Momma, Christmas is coming soon. What are we going to get Erik?"

"I don't know. Tomorrow we'll go shopping for his gift. What do you think he'll want?"

"Ummm some score books!" she tossed the idea out in the open. Diane smiled at the sweetness of her daughter, and just as she finished brushing her child's hair, and was about to sing her to sleep; her bedroom door was open and standing in the doorway was someone they wouldn't have expected.

Siegfried, and he was completely wasted on alcohol. Mia squeaked quietly as she moved closer to her mother and further away from her father.

"Mia, go to your room." She looked at her mother, who looked and sounded as scared as she was. "Go." Quickly, Mia climbed off her mother's bed and retreated to her room, where she listened and waited. "Go away Siegfried."

"Oho no." he smirked, grabbing her shoulders and pinning her down on her bed. "I'm rekindling our love."

"Get off of me!" She yelled, which scared Mia half to death, and caused her to cry.

"No!" He loudly replied. "Our love was built on sexuality, and it will be rebuilt on sexuality." But Diane fought hard, and in her thrashing, her leg went up and hit him in the crotch. "Mother-!" he rolled off the bed in pain; Leaving Mia curious about what was happening. All she could do was listen, listen in her room and imagine what was happening.

Siegfried got back up off the floor once the agonizing pain had passed, and was back to trying to rape her. She pulled her fist back and hit him in the eye, knocking him completely out.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him out to the hallway, and down a few hallways so he wasn't outside her door when he returned. After that, she went back into her room, locked the door, and the two windows. The one in her room and the one in Mia's. He was locked out, and they could sleep at last.

After Diane assured Mia that Siegfried was gone for the night, and that it was OK to sleep; she sang her to sleep. It was a gentle lullaby that sent her right to sleep; and gave Diane some time to attempt at sleep herself.

She returned into her room and suddenly the voice she heard before had returned.

"I'm impressed." Said the voice with no face. "You're quite the wildcat." She turned red at the voice, and it continued. "You're red little magician. The color doesn't suit you. Other than you're hair color that is." Diane gave a tiny smirk, before speaking.

"Monsieur, I'm worried."

"About?" The voice sounded as if it cared, as if it wanted to hear why she was worried. She looked up into the roof, then back down at her feet.

"Everything. First off, I'm worried that Siegfried will hurt Mia."

"I won't let it happen." The voice told her confidently. "I'll watch over your child for you Mademoiselle, I'll keep her safe." Diane smiled, and continued.

"About Erik." She continued, the name took the voice by surprise. "He always gets so sad. He's a nice guy, and I want him to stop being so sad. He always listens to me when I need him to; I just wish he'd talk to me."

"I'm not sure I can help with that. Why do you want to help him?"

"He's my friend Monsieur. I want him to know that just as he was there when I was upset, I'm there too."

"I'll make sure to assure him." The voice told her, then it seemed to pause. "I'll assure him that he need not be afraid of you." Diane smiled quietly and thanked the voice for the assistance. Silence seemed to pass before the voice spoke again. "It is late Mademoiselle, Mia is asleep, and now it is you're turn."

"I'm not sure I can sleep." She admitted sheepishly.

"Lie down and I will assist you dearest Mademoiselle." Diane nodded and did as the voice told her, she laid down and just as soon as her head hit the pillow, the candles in the room were blown out by a ghostly draft, and a violin could be heard in her ears only. Its sweet screams while the voice sang to her, was so soothing that she actually fell into an undisturbed sleep in a matter of minutes.

**

* * *

**

**OK, I saw "The Prestige" and it gave me a new outline for the sequel to this fic, and I'm thinking there might actually be two sequels. They're both really good ideas I think, and I'm just roughly thinking about them; but there's no guarantee there will be. **


	17. Happy Christmas

**Chapter Seventeen: **Happy Christmas

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

The next morning, Diane woke from a sweet sleep. It was the best sleep she'd had in years; completely undisturbed by the world around her, and no nightmares came to claim their place in the dreams of the Magician.

When she woke, her energy had been completely replenished. She didn't feel sluggish when she woke, she was completely ready to take her daughter shopping for Erik's Christmas present.

Just as Diane finished dressing, a voice came only in her ears.

"I see you slept well, dearest Mademoiselle." Had that become her new nickname? He'd called her that twice now.

"I did sweet Monsieur." Two can play at the nickname game, the voice seemed to find her attempt at the nickname game humorous.

"Out about town today are we?" The voice joked on. Diane smiled at the roof and nodded. "Then I shall let you go about your day, goodbye until it be night dearest Mademoiselle." Diane listened for any hint of the voice, but it truly was gone. Smiling to herself lightly, Diane knocked on Mia's door and told her to hurry and dress.

While Diane and Mia were out about town, Erik was in his home below. While they shopped for his Christmas present, he was left alone in his thoughts; completely swept over by the wave of Christine.

He remembered when he'd given her a Christmas present, back before Raoul and any of the awful things of four years prior. It was a tiny white box, tied with a blood red bow, Christine made no notice of the colors and tore through the box after reading the card which read: "From your Angel." How instantly she trusted the package, and when she lifted the gift out of the box; she seemed utterly surprised.

Inside the box lie a tiny golden locket, with the name "Christine" inscribed on the front. It was a tiny gesture, but Christine loved it no less.

But now he had no gifts to give, and no reasons to give them. Of course, if Mia did ask him where her's was; he'd just give her one of his figurine sets. She adores them enough and he had always wanted to get rid of them. He doubted she'd ask though, she would spend the holiday with her mother, and her mother would spend it with William. Leaving Erik to spend his holiday alone in the world that he's known, the only world that has ever showed him any kindness and any compassion.

The night of the Masquerade four years ago was the worst of all nights. It was the night that he gave up his secrecy to put his plan to win his beloved over into motion. It was the night that everything had gone wrong for him. The night that marked the end of his life as he knew it.

Mia held her mother's hand as the two of them walked through the snowy streets of Paris. Mia had gotten Erik's gift, and now Diane was searching for one to give him. Mia pointed out many possible ideas, but then denied them when they became bad ideas.

It wasn't until they looked through the book store, that they began to get better ideas about what to buy Erik. Mia- going crazy trying to find a good gift for him, tried to remember what books he did have, and what ones he didn't. While the two of them looked, the clerk came up from behind them and asked if they needed assistance.

"We do actually. We're looking for a Christmas present for our friend."

"The books a person buys can tell a lot about them." The clerk said. "If your friend is the type who likes to gather his thoughts and write them down, I suggest a ledger; perhaps with a little message inside?" Diane looked down at Mia, and asked what she thought. Mia, quickly nodding, told the man that was what they wanted. "Alrighty then, do you want to pick it out?"

"Yes." The clerk led them to the counter, where he put out six ledgers of different colors; all of them were the same size though. Diane and Mia looked through them, and decided that the black one would be best.

* * *

A week and a half later, it was Christmas time. There were no performances, and the owners threw a special Christmas party for those who worked there. Diane, though invited, said she and Mia had other plans for Christmas.

Erik was surprised when Mia and Diane walked through the water (Diane carrying Mia and the presents.), calling for him.

"Do you not plan to spend this day with dear William?" Diane shook her head as she let Mia out of her grip while on shore, and watched as Mia went to hug Erik.

"William is at the Christmas party the owners are throwing. We decided our day would be better spent here." Erik secretly tightened his grip on Mia, he wasn't going to be all alone after all; and that was present enough for him. "…and these are for you." She handed him the two boxes, both wrapped identically, with the name "ERIK" written across the top. He looked at them for a moment, before Diane took them from him and put them on the desk next to his figurines. "But you can't open them until after we eat."

"I didn't make anything." Erik told her, as if she'd meant for him to.

"I didn't intend for you to." Diane said as she went into the kitchen and told Mia to make sure he didn't peek at his gifts, and she took her role _very _seriously. She watched him like a hawk while her mother attempted to make a decent meal.

When Diane finished attempting to make a good meal, Erik and Mia went into the kitchen and saw that the food _looked_ OK, and _smelled_ OK. Erik took the first bite, and it actually was OK. It wasn't amazing, 5-star cooking, but it made a good meal for the three of them.

While they ate, Erik tried to trick-and bribe- Mia into telling him what was in those boxes. But she didn't say a word about it.

"You'll just have to wait and see Erik." Diane told him, as if she was telling _Mia_ she had to wait. Erik didn't _want _to wait, he _wanted _to know right then. But Diane and Mia wouldn't say a word about it.

After they ate, Mia was excited to grab Erik's hand and drag him into the study, where his presents lie. She handed him the one she bought, and told him to open that one first.

Diane watched as Erik tore through the paper like an eager child, it was his first Christmas in a long time; his first Christmas where he actually got a present. As she watched him open the gift, she was glad they'd gone to get him one.

He was happily surprised to lift out a stack of five or six black score books, with "Erik" written across them in the same style as his other score books had ".O.G."

"Thank you Mia." He thanked her gratefully, hugging the small girl, and asking her if she could put them on his desk. Nodding eagerly, she climbed off the elegant sofa and carried his scorebooks into the main room, and put them on his desk to use later. When she returned, he was about to open Diane's present to him. Mia took her rightful spot beside him and watched him tear through the identical paper, and lift out a black ledger.

"Look on the back of the cover." So Erik did, he opened the ledger, to find that on the back of the cover, was an inscription that read: 'To one of our dearest friends, you're not alone anymore. Love, Diane and Mia.' He didn't know what to say, the only thing that he did say was thank you, but he felt he should have said more. Like 'I'm glad I'm not alone anymore.' Or 'I love it, it's a wonderful gift. You're such a sweet woman to get me something so great.' But he didn't. He just smiled, and thanked her.

"Now for Mia." Erik said as he got up and left the room, catching both mother and daughter off guard. When he came back, he was carrying his Ill Muto figurines, which caused Mia to smile and gratefully take them as her new toys.

That was how they spent their Christmas, under the opera house; with Erik.


	18. Erik’s distress

**Chapter Eighteen: **Erik's distress

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Erik attended more and more shows of Diane's since then. Before long, He was sitting in his box where she-and only she-could see him; with Mia on his knee. Diane- she was glad to have Erik at her performances, and knowing he was there made her very nervous. But she didn't fail to do her tricks just as she would have had he not been there. He no longer hid in the shadows or up in the rafters while trying to watch.

But just as Erik began to come to her performances more, the two of them had gone to more operas together. They started out as Erik, Mia, and Diane; but as time went by, it became just Erik and Diane. They had gone from the three of them enjoying an evening together, to two friends sharing an evening, and finally, dates. But Erik and Diane didn't think of them as dates.

He'd told her about Christine. About what he did, and how if he had the choice; he'd take it all back. He'd do everything differently, and he never would have burnt down the opera house.

But- Diane didn't hate him like he thought she would. She just gave him a hug and told him that everyone makes mistakes. Some just bigger and more frequent than others. Which made him feel a little better, that- and finally telling someone how sorry he was that he did it.

It was sometime in March when it happened. Erik couldn't even see it coming; and it was because of that, that he hated the fact that it even happened at all. The best place to start this chapter- would have to be-where it truly began. Where the seed of his distress was planted; causing a growth of stress and irritation for him.

The problems began the night of an opera he'd gone to with Diane. Mia stayed behind because she had schoolwork to finish, and William was supervising her. The play was an opera version of Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately, Carlotta was Juliet, and the completely out of shape Romeo was played by Didier.

"Meg should have been Juliet." Diane told him before the play started as she read the cast list. "Carlotta just isn't the type."

"Not only that, but she's a million years older than what Juliet is supposed to be." Diane nodded in agreement with him.

After the performance had been on for an hour and a half, Erik's mind was all over the place again. But after a while, he found it odd that even though his mind was all over the place; it was no where near Christine again. His brain really began to bounce when he glanced over at Diane, and she'd put her feet up on the chair, and was fast asleep with her head in her palm. Even though Romeo and Juliet was one of her favorites (She told him that) she'd been up for days trying to perfect a new trick.

Erik grinned to himself as he quietly lifted her up off the chair bridal-style, and carried her back to her room; completely avoiding waking her up and getting too close to people in the hallways.

While he carried her though, he realized that he'd never gotten a good view of her while she slept. When he sang her to sleep, he only saw her hair in her face; he never dared peek on her while she slept in his home, and those were really the only chances he got.

He thought she was very pretty.

But, he pushed it into the back of his brain as he got back to her room, put her on her bed; and was caught by William on his way out.

"You two are back early." William started at him as he turned to open the door. Erik made a face before turning around and telling William that Diane had fallen asleep.

"So I returned her, without waking her mind you." William nodded and went back to helping Mia with her schoolwork, without thanking Erik for not waking Diane; or for even bringing her to her room. He could have taken her to his home and never returned her; but then again, why would he do that?

Well- later that night while he was trying to sleep; his mind was once again all over the place. He didn't even know what was truly on his mind until he'd finally gone to sleep.

He dreamt of her; of her in his bed. This dream wasn't unusual, he always dreamt of having his beautiful Christine in his bed with him. He dreamt of his hand stroking her breast as she lay beneath him. It was his usual wet dream. He held her face, kissed her neck and had his hand explore her thigh. He was at peace while dreaming of that which he couldn't possess.

The dream didn't end as it usually did though. Erik fell against the bed, closing his subconscious eyes for only a moment, and when they opened again, he moved on top of her again only to see her face had changed.

Her thick, brown, curly hair had morphed into long, strait, red hair. Her neck had gotten a little thinner and her breasts only a couple of inches smaller. The dream progressed as it normally did, but this time with the face of the magician starring back at him; pleasure running through her limbs

Erik sprang up in his bed; completely shocked at his dream, and unable to figure out why he had it. That fact bothered him because he hated when he couldn't figure things out. Especially things that he subconsciously thought of, as many possibilities as he ran through his head while trying to figure it out; the one that seemed the most ridiculous and improbable was the idea that he was developing strong feelings for Diane.

No, that couldn't be it. Christine was the only woman for him, and Diane was merely someone who kept coming with him down to his lair, and who didn't question his mask or his reasons for what he did. A woman that went to him when she needed to confide in someone and a woman who he'd told his story to. He would always love Christine, and only Christine.

Perhaps if he tried to sleep again, his subconscious would come up with something else to portray in front of his mind. He couldn't get back to sleep though; the tingling feeling through his body wasn't leaving, so quickly, he got out of bed, sat on the edge of it for a moment after grabbing his mask, then going off to compose an opera with the score books Mia had gotten him for Christmas. Whatever the reason was for his dream; it'd happened, and now he was full of distress.


	19. Midnight meeting

**Chapter Nineteen: **Midnight meeting

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

It wasn't long after her realization that she was falling in love with the voice from nowhere before Diane began to see that she and Mia had stayed in Paris too long.

At her shows from March until the middle of April; she saw Siegfried in the audience, whispering to some man while looking at her.

From March until April; when Diane and Mia would go out of the opera house to run errands, or do some shopping; it was like everyone was following her.

To find out what was going on, she followed Siegfried, assuming he had something to do with it. He usually had something to do with every bad thing in her life; why would this one be any different?

No matter how afraid she was that Siegfried would kill her if he found her, but she had a feeling that the voice with no face was watching over her; Even though in reality he wasn't.

She followed Siegfried until he met with two men. It was too dim to see them men really well, but the three of them went into a room; where Diane approached and put her ear to the door to eavesdrop.

"So, what did you find out?" Siegfried asked the two men.

"Well, nothing of any use." Said man 1 "So far, she hasn't done any disappearing off the face of the earth."

"Keep watching" Siegfried ordered. "I know she seems to just disappear into nowhere. Keep an eye on who she talks to, and what she talks about. I want both of you on her tail and I want to know everything you find out."

"For how long?"

"'round the clock. I don't want her to go one minute without being completely watched."

"Service like that ain't cheap." Man 2 told Siegfried, she could tell it was man 2 because he had a rougher voice than both man 1 and Siegfried. "You willin' to spend the amount we ask?"

"What do you ask?"

"We'll let you know when the time to collect comes."

"Fine, fine." He sounded very agitated at the man for not telling him how much he was spending.

"Pleasure doin' business you sir."

"Just get back out there and do what I'm paying you for." Diane quickly took off running. She took off running so fast that she was already at the stage before the men were half-way there.

She was terrified. The men were watching her so Diane couldn't go back and hide with Erik; what he planned to actually do was still a mystery to her. But she didn't have time to think about what he was going to do; all she could think about what would happen to Mia after all was said and done. So- given only a few minutes, she sought out Madam Giry who was in her room in the opera house, and quickly told her what was happening.

"So, you're worried he'll kill you and Mia?" Diane nodded, catching her breath, sitting on Madam Giry's bed and hoping that Siegfried's men didn't know she was talking to her. "I'm sure that your number one concern is not what Siegfried will do, but what will happen to Mia once it's done."

"That's right, how did you-?"

"How did I know?" Madam Giry gave her a small smile. "I'm a mother too Diane. I know what it feels like to only think of your child in times of crisis. Did you have a plan for her if something should happen to you?"

"No." Diane told her shamefully. "But I was thinking that maybe, if something does happen, Erik could take her. They get along great; and I know he wouldn't hurt her. All I need is for someone to go get a set of adoption papers for him to fill out; and keep just incase."

"I'll do that tomorrow; also, tomorrow I'll give you a book, containing the papers."

"Thank you Madam Giry." Diane told her nicely. "Could you also ask Erik to come out at Midnight and get a cab? So I can ask him privately if he would take Mia." After that, Diane told Madam Giry what to tell Erik, and how their secret meeting would work.

* * *

So the next night at midnight, Diane got a cab while carrying the book the with the adoption papers in it; Erik had gotten his cab, and all went according to plan. They stopped their carriages at the same time, Diane transferred from her cab to his by one quick step.

"OK." Erik said once she sat down across from him and shut the door. "Why did we have to meet in here? Couldn't you have just come to the dressing room?"

"No." Diane told him, handing him the book. "Open it." So he did. He lifted the cover and saw that all the pages in the book had been cut into a small compartment for the adoption papers, which was where they sat. He lifted the papers out and read them. "Siegfried is up to something." Diane told him as he looked from the papers to Diane. "I-I don't know what, but incase something happens, I want to know that Mia is in good hands."

"Diane, why can't we talk about this below the opera? You and Mia are safe there."

"I can't. Siegfried hired some guys to spy on me and make sure I don't "disappear" again. If I go with you then they'll send the police after you, and then they'll kill you. All that I ask is that you fill out those papers; Madam Giry said she would take care of getting the approval."

"But why are you leaving Mia with me? Why not with William?" Through the light that was shined into the cab by the moon; Erik could see Diane was trying not to cry.

"Because she adores you Erik, and I think she would be safer with you. Please…" Erik kept his eyes on Diane, who he saw was twirling her hair around her finger and biting her lower lip, with her back against the carriage. She was trying with all her might not to cry.

"I'll take care of her." Erik told Diane, putting the papers in his tuxedo jacket pocket. "Now will you mind telling me what is going on?"

"I don't know for sure." Diane admitted, her voice cracking with the attempt at a more audible tone. "…but if I know Siegfried, it's got to be something violent and terrible…" Erik nodded, from what Diane had told him about Siegfried, he figured it would be violent too.

"How do you know that Mia will need to be adopted?" Diane lost the quiver in her voice, and her voice was colder than ice.

"Because, I'm going to give myself to Siegfried."

"What?" Erik nearly shouted, but tried to keep himself under control. "But he'll _kill_ you."

"He might not." Diane said to him, causing a slight confusion to run through his mind. "Remember when we went to see Romeo and Juliet, and I fell asleep?"

"Yeah, didn't you say you were staying up really late practicing a trick?"

"I did, I was working on a trick that would scare Siegfried away for a good amount of time. I'm not sure though, for how long."

"Any time of him leaving you alone is enough, isn't it?" Diane nodded, Erik could tell that she was miserable, and for the first time since the two met; Erik went to _her_.

He sat near her, and saw that she was shedding tears. The whole ordeal was awful, and it was starting to get to her.

"Why won't he just leave me alone?" she asked as if Erik had all the answers to her questions. "Why does he want me back, just long enough to kill me?"

"I don't know." Erik hated admitting he didn't know, but in this case, he really didn't. Diane was welcome to lean against him; he knew how hard it was for her to deal with Siegfried, and his tyrant ways. "I really don't…but hey…" He lifted Diane's chin up so her gaze could meet his. "Whatever happens, Mia is safe from harm. That I _do_ know." Diane gave him a thankful smile as she lifted her wrist to wipe away her own tears.

"Thank you Erik…" She said to him softly. "Thank you for keeping Mia safe…"

"Of course." Suddenly, she smiled at him; a smile that almost made him not worry about her in her almost suicidal attempt at peace.

"But hey, everything will turn out fine; we're probably getting all worried for nothing."

"Yeah, probably." Erik replied as the cab came to the stop. "I guess this is where you get off?"

"It is." Just as she went for the cab door, she paused and turned to Erik and made a motion for him to come over to her. He did; so quickly and bravely, she gave him a tiny peck on the cheek before leaving the cab. "Thank you again." Erik sat on the cab seat stunned; holding the spot on his cheek, looking like she'd slapped him instead of kissed him. He was stunned, and bothering the cab driver by not telling him where to take him.

"The opera house." Erik said, watching Diane go down the street behind him.

* * *

"Sir, we saw Diane leaving a cab at midnight." One of man 1's men told Siegfried while he sat in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary; and praying. "We also saw who was in the cab with her."

"Who?"

"Some man wearing half-a-mask." The henchman told him. "He looked like a character in a painting."

"What were they doing in the cab?"

"…doing?"

"Yes doing." Siegfried nearly yelled. "Were they talking, were they kissing, were they fornicating, what were they _doing_?"

"…well…we're not too sure." Siegfried growled in irritation and told the henchman to leave. So, he did.

After he was gone, Siegfried took out a picture (remember, if no photographs, then a portrait) of his beloved Diane while they were dating, and looked at it over the candle that burned at the foot of the statue. Diane looked at least ten years younger back then, but in reality was only four or five years younger. Her hair was shorter, but her eyes still shined with hope and spirit.

"…my darling…too bad I have to break your spirit…" He mumbled before tapping the photo against his lips and burning it over the candle.


	20. Tourniquet

**Chapter Twenty: **Tourniquet

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

William was angry to hear about the plan from Madam Giry. He wasn't angry that Diane couldn't tell him, he was angry that Erik had been chosen to take care of Mia; and not him.

Erik hadn't even known Mia for a year, and already he was the one to take care of her? That meant Erik was already more to Diane than he was. But he couldn't talk to Diane about it; because she was being watched by Siegfried's hired men.

Although Erik was told to stick close to Mia, he defied Diane's request. He left Mia with William to watch over, while he watched over Diane. Who he felt needed his protection more than anyone, especially when he watched her give herself up to Siegfried. Making up a bull-shit story that made Erik feel that same feeling he felt the day Christine left with Raoul; which confused him on why.

"Siegfried" she approached him on April 15th, the day she was going to put her plan into action. "I've been thinking about-us-lately; and I realized that the good times outweighed the bad."

"Really?" no, But she nodded her head anyway.

"Really, I still love you Siegfried." She had to stand on her tip-toes to give him a kiss that had to seem real. "I'm ready to repent."

"My darling…" He gave her another kiss, and a bad one at that. The entire kiss, she wondered how the voice with no face would kiss, should he ever kiss her. She had to suppress a loud gag, and to force a smile. "Come with me love. I know a place where I can save your soul."

"Then let's go." He grabbed her arm and walked her out of the Opera Populaire, with Erik following behind quietly, but surely. He wasn't going to let Diane risk herself all alone; he'd be there if she needed backup.

Erik followed them far out into the outskirts of the city, making sure to stay quiet and hidden. He followed them to a little house by a lake, where he watched Siegfried take her inside.

Diane went into the cute little wooden house that Siegfried had been staying at while he was watching Diane in Paris. Diane watched him close the door and go over to a book shelf where he pulled out a small black bible. He went over to her and held her face in his palm. Almost sparking that old flame that Diane worked so hard to let die, he was seducing her again.

"Wait here my love." She watched him go into a different room, leaving her all alone in the cozy little wooden house. While she waited for him to return, she could only think about Mia, and praying to god that she was safe. She grabbed onto the little metal cross she wore around her neck, and held it.

"Please god…" She whispered while Siegfried was off in another room. "Please help me get through this." She whispered prayers to the necklace and stopped just as Siegfried came back in from the other room.

Erik hated waiting. He hated not knowing what was happening in the little house. Waiting became even harder when he heard Diane's loud, painful, miserable scream.

Siegfried had broken her wrists so she wouldn't be able to use her new trick against him. Even though he didn't know about her new trick, he only knew that he wouldn't let Diane best him with her powers. Little did he know- that Diane's new trick didn't need her to use her hands.

"Sit here my love." The pain in her wrists was so awful that she didn't know how she would be able to concentrate long enough to do her trick. But she knew that she at least had to try.

She sat down, and Siegfried saw her trying to use her powers against him. It wasn't long before it _finally _clicked that she didn't really love him, and that it was a trick to destroy him. Angry, he tied her arms to the chair, and her legs to the chair's legs.

"I do what I do because I want to save you." He told her, grabbing her face tightly in his hand and squeezing it. "…and I want to save you because I love you, and I want us to have a second chance at a family together." She tore her face away from him and gave him a stone cold look.

"Sweet words whispered through prison bars lose their charm." Were her last words before he hit her very hard; causing her to lose all contousness.

"I would rather this fool be married to her grave." He hissed in a low tone, knocking over an oil lamp and causing it to spill over the floor as he left the cabin.

But before he left entirely, he took a single match out of his pocket and struck it against the wood of the house.

With a single flick, he got the match to land right in the oil, causing a small flame to burn, then grow and grow as it consumed the entire log cabin. Siegfried smirked at his ex wife as he watched her hang her head in lack of consciousness.

"Welcome to hell." And he left her all alone in the cabin to die.

All the while, Diane was completely unconscious and ignorant to it all.

Erik jumped out of his spot in the woods to aid Diane. He knew that taking his cape with him was a bad idea; in fact, he took his whole suit (except his fluffy white shirt) off and left them in the forest to aid Diane.

When he saw her, she was slumped over in her chair; completely out of it. He made a beeline to her, and tried to wake her up, but all he got was eight tiny coughs.

"Diane…c'mon Diane…" He tried to wake her up, all he got was her eyes opening for just a second, and then rolling back into the back of her head as she fell back into her state of unconsciousness.

As the smoke in the cabin became thicker, and everything began to catch fire, he decided to forget trying to wake her up right there, and he went to untie her. But to his surprise, the rope had already been burned off, and the flames were working on burning her chair and her flesh. He quickly collected her in his arms before any more harm could come to her, he picked her up bridal style, and on his way out; some burning wood got in the way of the exit. So, Erik did his best to keep the smoke out of Diane; and trying to find a way out.

He was able to kick out a window and climb out without many third degree burns.

When Diane finally did come to, she was laying in a hospital bed, with Erik sitting beside her, holding her hands (Which she noticed were wrapped in bandages.) and thanking god she was alright.

"What happened…?" she asked weakly, coughing a little as Erik told her.

"Siegfried almost burned you alive." He told her as he put his gloved hand on her face, causing her to flinch, but savor the touch. "Oh god, don't _ever _do anything that stupid again!"

"Am I…OK?" she asked, making Erik nod.

"Yeah, the doctors treated your wounds, and set your wrists so they could heal properly. You're going to be fine."

"…and Mia?"

"She's with William at the Opera Populaire; safe and sound." Diane gave him a gentle smile before thanking him for saving her. "I wasn't about to let you go with him all alone. It's a damn good thing I didn't either!" Erik watched her a moment, before giving her a hug. "Don't ever do anything to scare me like that again."

"_I_ scared _you_?" she asked him, sounding very surprised at him. "I didn't think I could ever scare you."

"Well, you did this time." His grip got tighter on her, she could feel it…and she liked it.

"So Erik, tell me, what's the damage?"

"The doctor said: Two broken wrists, a few second degree burns here and there, but mostly your wrists got the damage. When the rope was burned off, the doctor said it left some third-degree burns that will probably heal up with your broken wrist." He told her, pushing her long hair back. "You also have to stay here until all is well." Diane gave him a smile, and then it faded when she asked about Siegfried. "I didn't see him, but I'm guessing he ran away after he saw the cabin on fire." She closed her eyes and nodded at him. "Listen Diane, you need to get some sleep right now."

"Are you going to stay?"

"I am." Erik told her, taking his seat in the chair beside her hospital bed. He saw her lips curl back into a smile.

"My hero…" she whispered before she fell asleep. It was then that Erik realized what he'd been trying to figure out over a month. He realized why when Diane gave him that tender, innocent kiss on the cheek; a spark flew threw him like crazy, why when he saw her nearly burning alive in the cabin; he went right to her side without thinking twice about his own safety.

It was because Erik, the infamous Phantom of the Opera, who only loved a woman named Christine Daae (De Changy)…

Had fallen in love with the magician.


	21. Happy Birthday Mia

**Chapter Twenty One:** Happy Birthday Mia

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

In the middle of June was when Diane was allowed to return to the Opera Populaire. William had escorted her back, even though she kept telling him that she didn't need to be escorted back; she was perfectly capable of walking on her own.

"Nonsense! You almost got burned alive, Diane."

"But I didn't." She said with an upbeat voice. "I'm fine." But that didn't mean that William was going to stop fussing over her. "Besides, you can't follow me around while I run my errands."

"Then I'll run them for you, what are they?"

"I've got to go pick up a cake for Mia's birthday tomorrow-" William cut her off, quickly saying:

"I'll do it" Diane- not wanting to really run any errands that day- agreed to let William pick the cake up. So after he got her safely to her bedroom, he went out to pick up Mia's birthday cake; Leaving Diane alone in her bedroom.

Just as William was gone, a knock came at her door. She was hesitant at opening it; part of her still afraid it was Siegfried. But then she heard:

"It's Erik." And knew it wasn't him. She opened the door to see the masked man standing in her doorway, examining her still healing wrists. "Feeling any better?"

"A lot. Come on in." So he did, he went into her room and watched her close the door behind him.

"I see dear William isn't watching over you."

"Oh believe me." She smiled. "He's been fussing over me since I was allowed out; he wouldn't even let me go pick up Mia's birthday cake."

"It's Mia's birthday?" he asked, surprised to hear that June was little Mia's birthday, she'd be five years old that day- and that meant that Erik had been without Christine for five years and some months.

"Tomorrow is. She's having all her little friends over; and hopefully I can con William into doing the cleaning." Erik smirked at her for a short time, and then asked where Mia was. "She stayed at a friend's house last night, and they're probably still playing." He nodded, which felt stupid afterwards, but it was the only motion he could think to make. Sitting there and starring at her blankly would have made him look like an idiot.

"I guess I better go; I just stopped by to see how you were feeling. You need to get some rest." He turned to leave, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw her sitting on her bed with her arms crossed.

"I don't need to rest. I'm _fine_. Why does everyone think I _always_ need to rest?"

"You can't very well blame William and I for being concerned about you; you almost got burned _alive-_"

"Why does everyone keep bringing that up? I_ wasn't_, so it doesn't matter." She just watched Erik give her a half-humorous grin.

"You're so stubborn."

"_I'm _stubborn?"

"Yes." He answered bluntly, keeping a gloved hand on the doorknob. "Stubborn as a mule. Now get some rest Diane, I'll stop by to see how you're feeling at Mia's birthday tomorrow." Diane wanted to argue with him some more about her stubbornness, but decided it was best to let it go. The doctors _did _say she had to take it easy for a little, so…why not let people worry about her for once?

"Do you promise?" Erik was on his way out when she asked him that. He was confused about what she meant, so he turned to face her again.

"What do I promise?" He watched her get off the bed and stand by the door on his right side.

"That you'll stop by tomorrow, for Mia's birthday. It would break her little heart if you didn't show." Erik tried not to keep his eyes on Diane too long, because if he did, he would start to think about his dreams (They happened a lot since the first time.) and then he would really turn red. So, he nodded.

"I promise."

"OK, see you tomorrow then." She gave him a tiny wave before watching him leave her room; then she quickly migrated back to her bed; where she slept off the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

Mia's birthday came all too soon, before Diane knew it, her room was filled with Mia's little friends, giggling and handing Mia their presents to her. Mia wore her favorite gown; a bright pink one with little bows on the skirt; and it almost matched her cake.

The cake was a beautifully decorated white cake, it had "Happy Birthday Mia" Written in pink frosting, and had little red frosting roses on each corner. Diane had put the cake on a sort of lay-away at the bakery, having ordered it a few weeks before Mia's actual party.

All the while, Diane was waiting for Erik to show his face at Mia's birthday, just like he promised. As she watched Mia and her friends play with her old toys that would become obsolete in the face of the new ones, she began to think Erik had gone back on his promise. Something he rarely did when it involved Mia.

But while she watched over the children, Erik was below. Putting a few last-minute touches on Mia's present.

He'd made her a new doll.

Although he had a feeling this new doll wouldn't replace Alex, he knew she would hold it dear to her heart.

Even though he had a feeling she would like it, he was very worried that she wouldn't. It wasn't the prettiest doll in the world; it was actually a patchwork doll with one drawn-on eye and one button eye. The stitches were visible on the outside of the doll, and it looked like he had one hell of a time trying to make it. And he did! That doll was just never the right size.

He stayed up all night working on it; and each new stitch brought new worry that she wouldn't like it. He worried that she would look upon it disappointedly and then lie to him, telling him she loved it. But it would eventually end up gathering dust on her shelf next to other abandoned dolls.

He was worried that it would be a bad present.

Never before did he have the opportunity to give a gift to a child of Mia's age, and he didn't know if he made the right kind of present. Perhaps she would have preferred something store bought or pre-made.

Erik pulled his pocket watch out of his overcoat's pocket, it was 4:30, the children would have left already; having given their bought gifts to Mia and had taken a piece of cake from the party.

So, Erik picked up the doll and gave it one final look. He was so ashamed of it that he almost made a quick stop by Madam Giry, and asked her to quickly go to the toy store and get something Mia would like. She was a mother after all; she probably knew what to buy for small children.

He didn't though, knowing full well Diane would be angry that he was late for Mia's birthday. He promised her he would be there, but he didn't promise he would be on time; that was his own personal-albeit pitiful-attempt at flirting.

Diane was growing irritated with Erik. He'd missed the whole party, even though she didn't expect him until afterwards. It was true, the children and their parents had left at 3:48 and she'd begun the process of cleaning up.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to con William into doing the whole job, just-most of it. She was a Magician, not a con-artist.

But when she felt his gloved hand on her back, she jumped up and screamed. William wasn't around to hear her scream however, he was off getting rid of the trash.

"Calm down." Erik told her as she regained to composure and asked him not to frighten her again.

"Don't _ever _do that again!" she scolded him, he gave her an apologetic expression before asking where the birthday girl was. "In her room, making a fort out of her new toys." That was actually true, when Erik went to see her; he saw her sitting in the middle of a doll-house cul-de-sac, and porcline dolls that put the doll he made to shame outlining the area outside the doll houses.

"Erik!" She said joyfully, reaching her arms out to him to have him lift her out of her toy prison. Smiling the widest he ever smiled, Erik set the box with her present down on her bed, and went to lift her up. "What did you bring me? What did you bring me?"

Mia was eager to see the presents Erik had to offer. He set her down on her bed, and she quickly grabbed the little box that had her name written on a tag. Her mother stood in the doorway, watching the masked man shower her daughter with the fathering love she'd been so deprived of.

Mia tore through the box and lifted the doll out. At first, Erik watched the eagerness and excitement in her eyes to fade into question and almost-disappointment. It was almost as if she was asking him if that was all. He felt that worry come back over him as Mia looked the doll over, as if looking for some sort of other gift. She didn't like it…

He was surprised though, when Mia held the doll tightly, and began to sob.

"…Mia?" Erik whispered, watching the small girl sob over the new doll- it wasn't _that _bad of a gift was it? She put the doll against her pillow gingerly, crawled over to Erik and gave him a tight hug. Wrapping her tiny, five-year-old arms around his neck and thanking him.

"Thank you Erik! Thank you so very much! I love it!" She kept a tight grip on him, and it actually confused him. Did she like it or not? She said she did, but he didn't know if it was true or not. So until Diane could explain to him why the child cried, he gave her a hug back, and told her he was glad she liked it.

When Mia went down for her nap at 5:30; she held the doll tightly in her small arms, she held onto it for the dearest of life.

"Diane?" Erik asked as both he and Diane watched Mia sleep for a little. "Why'd she cry if she liked it?"

"Erik, she'd have done that no matter what you brought her. Siegfried never gave her a birthday present. I'll bet I never told you that." Erik shook his head, and listened to Diane as she spoke. "He always said: "It's hard to celebrate the day a demon spawn came into the world." And as she got older, it had more of an impact. At two, when she expected a gift from him, all she got was that same response. She came to me in tears, asking if she really was a demon spawn. Except- she called it a 'spoon' since she couldn't pronounce 'Spawn' well. I told her that of course she wasn't a demon spawn. But I knew she doubted me; I saw it in her eyes." Erik listened as Diane wove the story of Mia's second birthday. "She cried because-because she's always wanted her father to give her a gift."

"But- I'm not-" Erik tried to tell her, but he never could find the right words.

"You are to her." He watched Diane snicker softly. "That little girl loves you so much Erik, like it or not; she sees you as a father." Erik stayed quiet, but in his mind- he was glad.

Erik really loved Diane and Mia; it was as if he was able to be a whole new person around them. Though Diane did know what he did, she only cared about what he was going to do. Erik finally knew why it was easy to be who you are when no one knew who you were.


	22. Erik’s Little Girl

**Chapter Twenty Two:** Erik's Little Girl

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Ever since Erik found out from Diane that he was like a father to Mia, he started acting more like it. He treated her like Siegfried should have like playing with her when she wanted him to, sitting up late at night with her when she got scared, and singing her to sleep at night.

Diane was in Erik's kitchen during one visit, boiling some water for the tea (That being the only thing Siegfried made her think she could do.). She finished the tea and as she took it to Erik for the three of them to share, she saw him reading to her daughter; gently, and softly.

"It was many and many a year ago,  
In a kingdom by the sea,  
That a maiden there lived whom you may know  
By the name of Annabel Lee;  
And this maiden she lived with no other thought  
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,  
In this kingdom by the sea;  
But we loved with a love that was more than love -  
I and my Annabel Lee;  
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven  
Coveted her and me.  
And this was the reason that, long ago,  
In this kingdom by the sea,  
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling  
My beautiful Annabel Lee;  
So that her highborn kinsman came  
And bore her away from me,  
To shut her up in a sepulcher  
In this kingdom by the sea.  
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,  
Went envying her and me  
yes! That was the reason  
(as all men know, in this kingdom by the sea)  
that the wind came out of the cloud by night,  
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love was stronger by far than the love  
Of those who were older than we  
Of many far wiser than we  
And neither the angels in heaven above,  
Nor the demons down under the sea,  
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul  
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams  
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;  
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes  
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;  
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side  
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,  
In the sepulcher there by the sea,

In the tomb by the sounding sea." Diane leaned on the arch as Erik finished reading "Annabel Lee" She didn't see it, but Erik gave Mia a tiny kiss on the side of her head and quietly whispered:

"I love you Mia, you're my little girl." Mia glanced up at Erik, and gave him the cutest little angelic smile.

"I love you too Erik." She didn't want to call him 'Daddy' even if she felt he was like that. Mia flipped through the book and asked him to read "the Black Cat" To her. So, he did.

Diane set his cup of tea down on the table beside where he sat with Mia, gave them a tiny grin, and pulled a chair up to listen to Erik read.

"For the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad am I not --and very surely do I not dream. But to-morrow I die and to-day I would unburden my soul.

My immediate purpose is to place before the world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere household events. In their consequences, these events have terrified --have tortured --have destroyed me.

Yet I will not attempt to expound them. To me, they have presented little but Horror --to many they will seem less terrible than baroques.

Hereafter, perhaps, some intellect may be found which will reduce my phantasm to the common-place --some intellect more calm, more logical, and far less excitable than my own, which will perceive, in the circumstances I detail with awe, nothing more than an ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects." Both mother and daughter listened to Erik as if he was telling them something of complete importance. He was a good story-teller, his voice captivated both the women in his lair, and for once, he felt like he had a family of his very own.

By the time "The Black Cat" ended, Mia had fallen asleep against him and her tiny hand had closed around a small part of his shirt, holding onto it.

Erik gave Diane a light smile before gently lifting Mia and carrying her into his room, where he put her in the silk blankets, and pulled them over her shoulders. He gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before rejoining Diane in the main room.

"You looked comfortable." Diane observed as he took his seat. "Seems being Mia's almost father took to you quickly." Erik nodded as he grabbed his tea cup and poured some more into it.

"What can I say?" He asked before taking a drink. "You're little girl is irresistible. It's going to suck when guys start coming to court her."

"Oh god…" Diane sighed. "You're right…" Erik snickered while looking at Diane, whom had never even considered what it would be like for her when suitors come for Mia.

* * *

**_Annabelle Lee_ and _The black Cat_--- ****Edgar Allan Poe**

**Thanks to all my awsome Reveiwers! and btw, I've almost got all the chapters I've finished up here. Only 2 more until I've got to start actually writing in it again.**


	23. 10 steps back

**Chapter Twenty Three:** 10 steps back

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

About two months later, after Mia had started school and when the leaves began to fall once more; Diane had begun to visit Erik alone For-adult conversation, or for some conversation in general. William wasn't around her much; so she rarely had anyone to talk to.

She disliked having to let Mia go to school; because when she went to visit Erik, there was always an awkward feeling between them that Mia's presence always caused to disappear. Without Mia, Erik and Diane felt awkward; and unsure of what to do or say to the other.

But that didn't mean that Diane didn't visit him, and that didn't mean he would turn her away.

But when the air got colder, Diane began to get sick. Erik noticed that she looked a little green during one of her visits, and she tried to swallow a few of her coughs; not wanting to admit to herself or anybody else that she was sick. It was on that day, that Erik told her to go into his room and take a nap.

"I'm not a child, I can't be told to take a nap." But even though she said that, a nap sounded like the best idea in the whole world. She was very light headed, and woozy.

"Diane, you're obviously sick, go and take a nap." He knew she was sick; it wasn't that hard to see. But she was stubborn; and he knew she wouldn't go down for a nap as easily as Mia would. No matter how badly she wanted to.

Eventually though, she did lay down for a nap; even though it was because she became so light-headed and dizzy that she fainted. Eh...whatever works right?

As she slept, she dreamt of things that she had hoped to forget…

* * *

"Shh…shh…please baby…shhh…" Diane stood over the cradle of 4 month old Mia. "Shh…Daddy is coming home soon and you know how he hates it when you cry…please…shhh…" She was so frantic to get Mia to stop crying, but Mia wouldn't stop. Diane was getting so frantic to stop the baby's cries that she began to cry herself. She couldn't reason with a four-month-old, not the way she could reason with Mia- had she been 5.

"Diane!" her heart stopped for three seconds when she heard Siegfried call up to her from the living room of their two-story brick home. "Shut that little brat up!"

"I'm trying!" she called back down to him, lifting Mia out of her cradle and softly bouncing her. "Shh…please Mia…shh…"

"Diane!" Came Siegfried's voice again, larger and angrier. But the sound of his large and angry voice caused Mia-whom was almost asleep- to start wailing again, and louder. "I told you to shut that little brat up!"

"I'm _trying_!" Diane tried not to cry, she had to stop Mia from doing just that. But it was hard to stop a wailing baby like that.

"Just smother it with a pillow, that'll shut it up." Horrified, Diane tightened her grip on Mia and continued to gently bounce her until she finally did calm down.

Diane hated that Mia couldn't go out of her nursery; she couldn't lie around on the living room floor like most babies could, Siegfried wouldn't allow her to leave her nursery.

Just as Diane put Mia back in her cradle, continuing to sooth her tiny baby mind with promises that everything will be better; a white light flashed.

Siegfried stood behind Diane as she sat in front of the fire place, drawing in the soot with a stick. She drew until Siegfried grabbed her hair and pulled her back away from the fire. Saying words that Diane's subconscious couldn't hear; but she knew that they were angry, and full of hate.

He pulled her back by her hair, causing her to scream in pain and kick her legs like a spoiled child. She could hear that Siegfried's loud swearing and Diane's painful yells had woken the baby (who was at that point, 1 year old); but Siegfried didn't care.

The only thing Diane could think about at that moment was what was going to happen to Mia. She knew how Siegfried hated when the baby cried; and she worried about what he'd do to her once he "Punished" Diane for whatever she'd done wrong.

He took her out in the back of the house and into a small building that looked like a tool shed to the_ very_ few visitors that they had. He pushed Diane into it, went in with her, and locked the door. He reached for a whip that he had resting on a sharp hook, and started beating her with it.

Siegfried beat her for the littlest of things. He didn't like what she drew in the soot in the fire place (He believed it was a demonic symbol. When in reality it was just a doodle.) And so he was beating the "demons" out of her.

Another light flashed, passing time until it showed Mia as a two year old. She was walking around the house, just minding her own business; until Siegfried came in with two of his friends, all three with alcohol on their breath.

"Look there Siegfried!" laughed one of his drunken friends. "It's the kid!" Siegfried wasn't always an alcoholic, but after he fathered a 'demon spawn' he began drinking more and more.

"Diane!" Siegfried bellowed, causing Diane to rush down the hall and stop in the archway when she saw Siegfried with his friends. "What did I tell you about letting the kid in the living room?" Diane opened her mouth to speak, but Siegfried wasn't listening, he went right over to Mia, and kicked her down with one forceful-well-kick. She slammed her head against the floor and started howling miserably. Diane started at her daughter, trying to collect her in her arms before Siegfried could do anymore to her, but she wasn't fast enough, and Siegfried lifted the little girl up by the back of her dress, causing the collar to press against her throat and nearly choke her. Just as he dropped her back on the ground (giving her a black eye and a bloody nose) and just as his foot hit her ribcage, Diane's eyes popped open.

* * *

Diane shot up in the swan bed; her limbs paralyzed with the fear brought upon her by the image of days long past. She climbed out of the bed, knowing that she wouldn't get anymore sleep that night.

As she came out of the room, she saw that Erik was asleep with his head on his desk. She (at first) was going to go start making some tea for them, but then, as she saw his mask once again; curiosity overcame her.

What was he trying to hide behind the mask?

She'd wondered what was behind it every day since she met him. He was hiding something, and until then, she didn't feel she had the right to know. But since he was so close to her daughter; she figured it was about time that she knew what he was hiding.

Slowly and timidly, she made her way over to him. Watching him with caution and watchfulness; slowly she took the white porcline mask between her index finger on her left hand, and her thumb on her right; and lifted.

The rush of cold air on the disfigured side of his face rushed over him, and caused his eyes to pop open, and for him to accidentally shove Diane to the ground.

"Damn you, you little witch!" He screamed, holding his hand over his face as Diane tried to realize what was happening to him. "How _dare_ you lift my mask! Curse you!" The more he yelled, the more Diane struggled to find the kind man that had saved her from the burning building, the sweet man that had treated her daughter the way she deserved to be treated. Where had he gone…? Before she knew it, he grabbed her wrist; holding it with extreme tightness and with an almost constricting grip. "You wanted to see it, Look at it!" He was loud, louder than she ever heard him.

"Erik-stop it! You're hurting me!" She tried to reason with him, but he was angry; he had a fire in his eyes that Diane had never seen before.

"Look at it!" He continued to bellow. "Look at my curse!" At that point, he was throwing her around and yelling; almost as bad as Siegfried. Almost, But not quite. If she had to choose between Erik's yelling and swearing and Siegfried's beatings; she'd have chosen Erik's.

Erik pulled her by her wrist and dropped her into the lake, soaking her completely, his anger had not yet cemented; but was starting to. "Now you and Mia can never come back! I want you _out_!"

Diane was too terrified of his sudden change to stick around anyway; she jumped to her feet, watched him for a moment, before making her way back to the surface.


	24. Diane’s Journal

**Chapter Twenty Four:** Diane's Journal

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Diane and Erik kept their distance from each other since then, and Erik used that time to try to convince himself that he was fine with it. He didn't really want her around anyway- did he? 

No, of course he didn't. His loneliness just got the better of him that was all; he didn't need a little girl or a pretty woman around him; making him realize how it felt to have a family.

He didn't need a family, he was perfectly happy as a family of one.

He knew he was! And no amount of left behind drawings done by Mia, or memories of feeling happy left inside his head would make him think differently. He didn't need Diane or Mia.

No matter how many times he read Annabelle Lee and remembered how he felt so complete with the little girl in his arms; hanging on his every word, and the magician in the kitchen making them tea would make him think for one minute that he didn't like to be alone.

Erik was a solitary kind of guy, and he was perfectly happy in his solitude, wasn't he?

Of course he was. He went four years alone, he could go another year or two before realizing how desperately lonely he was, and deciding that the odds of being found again were 1 million to one; thus, the need to take his own life.

Erik went to his organ, and began to tap a few notes. But no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he didn't need Diane or Mia; he couldn't get the two out of his head.

* * *

William took a notice that Diane was no longer disappearing during the day while he schooled Mia. She sat in her room, practicing new tricks for her shows, one trick in particular. 

He'd not gotten a look at her notebook, where she wrote her theories about how the trick would work; and designed things to make it work without killing her. The longer he didn't know about Diane's new trick, the harder it was for him to teach Mia. He wanted to know what Diane was up to.

Since she'd stopped disappearing, Diane had started an obsession with dangerous tricks. Tricks that could make an orphan out of Mia; that could break William's heart, and break-up the happy trio.

The idea that Diane was coming up with a self-lethal trick was enough to rattle his nerves.

"…to make the trick work…I'd have to reappear…." He heard her mumbling one afternoon while writing in her tiny little journal; the journal that copy-cats from all around were trying to get their hands on. The attempts at thievery became so bad that she had to hide the journal in her boot; thus, keeping it with her at all times.

Diane even asked the managers for more time to practice before performing in front of people.

"I'm working on a new trick." She said to them one afternoon while Mia was being home schooled by William. "A trick that I know will work, all I need is to figure out how to reappear once I'm gone."

It was after that meeting, that she was given permission to practice her trick at night while everyone else was asleep.

But after her meeting with the managers, she realized that the trick wouldn't be truly dangerous, unless she herself was in peril.

What would be the point of creating a dangerous trick- if someone else was going to be the one experiencing it? There would be no point, so Diane had to think of a trick that would be so dangerous that even she didn't know if it would turn out OK.

But as she scribbled in her notebook, drawing a tall rectangle and drawing a squiggly line near the top, she began to wonder- why did she want to do a trick that could possibly kill her so badly?

Even she didn't know why. She couldn't figure out why she had a need to do something that could ruin both her daughter's-and William's- lives. It was something she had to do; something she needed to know that she was capable of.

**

* * *

**

**Eck, it's pretty short, but I didn't quite know what to do for this chapter. So, the above was all that I could think of.**


	25. The point of no Return

**Chapter Twenty Five:** The point of no Return

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

If there was one thing Diane knew about performing with her magic, it was showmanship. If the audience was not captivated by the showmanship the performer showed, then they would be uninterested in the magic themselves. 

On the night of her show, just before she was about to go on stage, William grabbed her shoulder.

"What do we do, should the worst happen?" Diane turned to face him, and he was able to see that Diane knew what she was doing, he trusted her completely.

"Take Mia, take her and get her away from here." She paused, went over to the table and gave him a small hatchet. "Just incase"

The audience erupted in applause when the famed Magician came out onto the stage with a bright smile on her face, and bowed at them. She knew how her show would go, and hopefully it would end the way she'd envisioned it. It seemed like she worked it all out in her journal, but it was one thing to try it in theory, and another to do it in practice.

That night, she had William keep her journal. There would be no way in hell she would lose the one key thing that could help her daughter learn the tricks of the trade; should the worse happen.

She began her show with a few small tricks, the first trick being guessing what each audience member had in their pockets without being shown. Then the traded handkerchief trick; where she asked a man in the audience to take out his handkerchief, and the man found it wasn't his.

"Try trading with the woman in the second row third seat to the right." So the woman sitting in that seat took out her handkerchief, and it was the man's. The crowd erupted in an explosion of applause as the magician took her bows and then, after a few more cute little tricks, became very serious. "This is a trick never before seen. What you are about to see-ladies and gentlemen- is a trick of my own design." The audience went silent as the two (Usually sceneshifters) brought out a giant glass tank of water, probably four or five gallons.

"This trick has been done before!" Shouted a member of the audience, this caused Diane to grin slyly.

"Not the way I'm going to do it." She assured them. "Now, I'll need two volunteers from the audience." The whole audience's hands shot up in the air, and Diane picked two at random. The two men came on stage as William brought out two pieces of rope and handed them to the two volunteers. The men both had short hair, but one had a curled black mustache, while the other had some blond peach fuzz on his chin (and looked somewhat like Raoul). "You Monsieur, tie my wrists."  
She said to the one who looked like Raoul, then looked down at curly Mustache man and said: "and you Monsieur; tie my ankles."

So the two men did as they were told, all the while Diane shouting. "Note that I have no abilities to use my hands or my legs. So untying myself is otherwise impossible." The two men finished tying her arms and legs together; and just as that happened, a swing-like prop from the ballet dance in Ill Muto came down, and the Raoul man helped Diane onto the swing.

The audience watched as the two men returned to their seats; the swing-like prop hovered over the tank of water, allowing Diane to slip right into the water. William hit the 'Go' button on his stopwatch, and if she was not out in one minute, he was to bash in the tank. A curtain covered the tank so no one could see how Diane was performing her trick, and William couldn't see if she needed help or not.

…20 seconds…nothing….

…28…nothing….

…30…

…45….nothing…his heart was beginning to race…

At 50, William was starting to worry. But just as the one-minute was up; the curtain around the tank rose, showing it was empty and the spotlight shot over to one of the boxes, causing William to run out from behind back stage, to see Diane standing on her legs, bone-dry, with her hands in the air and a smile on her face.

The audience erupted in mad applause at the magicians almost- impossible feat. Diane's smile widened as she realized that she could-in fact- do the transporting person trick; and relief rushed over William's troubled heart.

"Thank god…" he breathed as he made himself scarce; behind back stage. Diane hopped off the box and made her way down the hallway, where she used that exact same technique to appear back onstage as if nothing happened. This caused more erupting of applause and cheering.

It was the trick after a few more, small, lengthy, flashy tricks that left some insecurity in her mind. She'd never even seen a trick like the next one done before, and testing it out was easy enough; but should something go wrong…she didn't even want to think about it.

"Well…" Diane said to herself quietly as she made her way over to the spot on the stage with the trap door. "…Past the point of no return, no going back now." She got to the spot, turned to the audience and said: "This will be my finale for tonight's show." She paused, and then gave a light smile. "This trick is dedicated to a man named Siegfried Dane." Before anyone knew it, out of the floor came a flame that consumed Diane completely. When the smoke cleared, there was no longer a magician standing there.

She'd fallen through the trap door, and had planned on landing on a pile of sandbags that were_ supposed_ to be under the stage; but the stage hands got drunk and forgot to put them there. Diane landed in the tank of water from her previous trick, the lid closing behind her, and locking.

* * *

Erik had went to Diane's show, mostly hoping to get a word with her afterwards, he was completely breath taken by her underwater escape; just as the rest of the audience was. He was captivated by her small-flashy tricks that amused the children in the crowed; and he was surprised to hear that she'd dedicated her finale to Siegfried, although he knew why. It was a way of telling him to go to hell. 

But he had a feeling all was not well when she didn't reappear to take her bow. He knew Diane, and she always took her bow at the end of her shows; _always_.

Maybe it was just something she decided not to do. The audience filed out, and Erik went looking for Diane to congratulate her on an amazing show (and apologize for the way he exploded at her.); but he only found William looking around.

Once all the people backstage were gone to the ballet dormitories to harass the young chorus girls, Erik approached William, and asked where Diane was.

"I don't know, she was supposed to come right back up here…"

"Back up from…where?"

"Below the stage, you know; where they put all the costumes and used props." Erik knew what William meant; he knew every inch of the opera populaire, why would he not be familiar with the _storage room_?

"Maybe she got held up; I'll go look for her." Erik offered. "You stay here incase she comes." Mostly- he didn't want William following him. He wanted to talk to Diane privately anyway; and William would just get in the way of that. Luckily for Erik, William agreed to stay and wait for Diane as Erik went to check the storage room.

* * *

Diane pounded on the glass like crazy; she was trying not to yell, because she knew she had to hold her breath. It would be foolish to try and scream when she was drowning.

But when she saw Erik stalking around in the shadows, looking for her; she forgot her reason for thinking, and started to scream for him, which caught his attention quickly.

When he got to her, she pointed up at the lock; which made Erik realize it was locked. He looked frantically around for the key (There being no one around for him to yell at to find it) but it wasn't anywhere. It was then that he decided to say: "to hell with the key!" and found a metal cane used in one of the productions, and tried to bash in the tank.

He did his best not to hit it so glass would get on Diane, but he knew that he had to get her out first and foremost, her wounds would be tended to later. All he could think about right then was getting her out of her own dangerous trick.

It took a lot of bashing, and just as he saw her face become relaxed, signaling that she was dying, the glass busted open, and tackled Erik in a wave of water. He caught Diane in his arms and laid her down on the floor, trying to get her to breathe again.

After she let out a hard, almost choking cough; Erik collected her in his arms and started thanking god for keeping her alive.

"I told you _never_ to do anything to scare me again." Erik told her, moving her so he could see her face, and wipe her sopping wet hair out of her eyes. He didn't even notice that her shirt was completely see-through at that point; he was worried about Diane, and kept his eyes on her face. "Jesus Christ Diane…" He hugged her again, tighter than before. "…Don't scare me anymore." She'd have said something about how he yelled at her, asking if he really cared; but she didn't, because she could hear him trying to stifle his cries, but failing.

"…I'm OK though Erik…" She said gently, putting an arm around his neck and pulling him closer to her. "…Thank you for saving me…again…" She could feel him tighten his grip even more on her, the idea that he'd lost her completely was more than he could bear, he only felt that constricting fear once before. When she was almost burned alive, and he'd hoped it would bet he last.

"I wasn't going to sit by and watch someone I love more than anything die."

"…what…?" Diane asked, tight-throated and still a little winded from lack of oxygen for that length of time. She could have sworn he said that he loved her.

"What…what?" Erik replied, not realizing that he'd told her that he loved her.

"You said…you said you loved me…" She saw his face quickly turn candy-apple red; she could have sworn that even his mask looked a little pink. "…do you…love me?" He was quiet, then nodded.

"I do love you Diane and I didn't mean to yell at you or hurt you before. I'm just sensitive about my face, that's all." He put his black, gloved hand on her sopping wet face. Caressing it with all the gentleness he could possibly have. "…but I do love you…" He same a smile spread on her peach-colored lips, her eyes never shined so bright as that minute that Erik told her he loved her. He was surprised when she leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss, something he savored as long as he could; before she took it away.

Her kiss was so soft…so gentle…he never experienced something so wonderful in his life. It was then that he'd completely forgotten the years that Diane and Mia weren't with him, he'd lost all feeling in his body, all he could do was open his eyes, and see Diane with a sweet smile upon those gentle, peachy lips.

"If you ever…ever turn out to be like Siegfried…I reserve the right to drown you in your lake…" She told him softly, partly seducing him.

"I swear I won't ever be like him…" and he knew he didn't have it in him to be like Siegfried.

He was blessed by another kiss by Diane, and somehow, nothing else mattered at that moment. He was finally loved, and he was allowed to forget how to be lonely.


	26. Going Under

**Chapter Twenty Six:** Going Under

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Erik laid in his bed, with Diane right next to him. Her bright, smiling face right next to his and her small-by-comparison hand wrapped around his. He had never felt such complete happiness as he felt at that moment; He saw the world behind Diane's beautiful eyes, eyes that he knew he'd be lost in forever.

He'd be more like a father to Mia, now that he was romantically involved with her mother. He knew that when he married Diane, he would adopt Mia as his own child, so she could lose her father's last name. He'd talk her into calling him 'daddy', and he'd make his two girls happier than they ever were.

But the minute he kissed her knuckles, just as the smile on her face widened even further, Erik's side of the bed opened up into a whole looking down on the stage in the opera house.

Erik fell through, Diane holding his hand with all her strength. She was calling to him, telling him she wouldn't let him fall again. He couldn't think about why she said 'again' as if he'd had that dream before. Because he hadn't, that was the first time he fell.

But the tighter she hung on, the quicker he seemed to slip from her grasp, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try to hold onto him with all her strength and to keep him from falling. It wasn't until he'd slipped from her grasp completely; that he felt that he was falling. He reached out to grab her hand, only for her hand to be stopped by invisible glass.

He landed on the stage, hard. But he couldn't feel any pain. He stood in his spot, rubbing his head. Suddenly, he heard a whole crowd go "Boo!" loudly. The seemingly empty stage was in front of millions of people, and they were all booing him and throwing tin cans at him. Erik put his hand up to his face, only to find he wasn't wearing his mask.

"Freak!" Called the crowed. "Freakiest of all freaks!" Erik moved back, but stopped when he saw Mia falling out of the black air where the roof would have been; and landed in the crowed with a SPLASH, and the image of the crowed rippled like it was water.

"Mia!" Erik tried to call, but no voice came to his attempt, so he yelled again; and ended up screaming for Mia, but unable to make a sound. He decided to forget trying to yell for her, and he dove head first into the crowed. Unlike Mia, Erik was caught by the people in the crowed, and thrown into the ground, where he was thrown back into the cage he was in while at the carnival.

He was still barley thirty, just as before, and still in his tuxedo. He even had his mask back, but it seemed that the cage grew with him; and in the corner of his cage, he saw a woman who looked like Diane except with black hair, sobbing into her palms.

"Diane…?" He whispered, he had his voice back apparently, and the second he touched her shoulder, she looked up at him. Her eye sockets were completely bloody and empty, and blood tears ran down her face. Erik jumped back in surprise, but not in fear.

"Can you love me…like this…?" she asked him, her voice raspy and choked. Erik got back over to her, wrapped his arms around her; and cooed.

"Of course I can love you like this…" She fell against his tuxedo and cried while he stroked her oddly black hair with his red gloved hand. "…did you see where Mia went…?"

"You can't leave me Erik!" She sobbed, her fingers turned to claws and they dug into his overcoat. "You can't leave me all alone!"

"I won't" He cooed quickly. "I won't, you'll come with me." She began to shake her head quickly, bloody tears still streaming down her white-as-death face.

"I-I can't! If I leave, he'll get me…" Erik lifted her face in his hands, and tried to wipe away her blood tears, but ended up just smearing them.

"Who will get you?" He asked quickly, but she just sobbed more. "Who Diane?"

"You're yelling!" She snapped, trying to stop crying, but it wasn't working all that well.

Suddenly, for some reason or another, he felt himself being pulled away from Diane. But she grabbed for his hand, just as she had in the beginning of the dream; except he wasn't falling, he was being taken away.

"Is the one you seek the headless horseman?" She asked him, her face beginning to crack like glass, Erik shook his head, but Diane kept going. "The one you seek is the one soaked in blood- the heartless horseman." It wasn't until her face disenigrated completely, that he was pulled away by the unknown force, and thrown back into his right mind.

* * *

Erik shot up in his bed, soaked in sweat. That was the oddest of all his odd dreams, but most of all; he didn't know where Mia was. Frantically, he jumped out of bed, grabbed his fluffy shirt (having slept in his pants) and made his way into the main room, where he saw Diane sitting in the chair he usually sat in, reading.

"Good morning" she greeted him, putting the bookmark in her book and going to greet him with a kiss. After she did, he held her face in his hands and just examined it; allowing it to process to him that her face had not cracked like glass and her eyes had not been gouged out; and she was not in fact, crying blood. It was after all of this came to be real for him that he took her and he kissed her. Thanking god it was all a dream. "Bad dream I take it?"

"Where's Mia?"

"In the study, fast asleep." She assured him, holding his exposed face. "Calm down, it was only a dream Erik."

"And it's for that, that I thank god." He hugged her; he hugged her very tight and very close. "It was so bazaar, but felt so real. Mia disappeared, you had your eyes gouged out and your face started to crack- then you said something about a 'heartless horseman'." He explained to her, at that point he was just glad it was all an illusion that his mind had created via the events of the day before. He shook his head, and gave Diane another kiss. "But it was just a dream, it's over now."

"That's right, now calm down, you're shaking like crazy." She cooed to him gently. "Now, you stay here; and I'll go make you some tea. All you do is stop shaking."

"I'll try." He replied sheepishly. But after Diane had left, he decided to go check on Mia; the idea of being without her was more than he could bear, and that dream was as close to losing her as he hoped to get.

He went into the study, and saw Mia sleeping on her side, facing away from him. Erik was about to leave, but stopped when he heard Mia sniffles, and chokes.

"…Mia…?" he quietly said, going back into the study, and inching towards the child on his sofa. "…Mia honey…are you crying?"

"Erik…" She whimpered. "It hurts….my tummy…" Erik gave her a sympathetic look as he approached her, making his movements quiet and cat-like. "...hurts bad Erik…make it go away…" Erik touched her shoulder, causing her to turn over to face him.

Erik's eyes widened and he yelled, Mia's gut was covered in blood, and there was a sword right through her.

"_MIA_!" Erik yelled, trying to stop the bleeding, but only making his hands bloodier and causing her to cry out more in pain. "Oh god…hang on baby girl…hang on…DIANE!" But Diane didn't come, and Mia was bleeding more and more every minute. "Hang on baby…"

"Erik..." She whined. "…Make it stop…"

"I'm trying princess, I really am…DIANE!" But Mia kept crying harder, and Diane wasn't coming. "Shh...stay here baby…I'm going to go get your mom."  
"NO!" She cried. "Don't leave me!" he was inclined to stay, no matter how much he wanted to go look for Diane. He called for her again, but still nothing. "Erik it _HURTS_!"

"DIANE!" he called, when he turned his back to the door to see if she was coming, he saw Christine standing in the archway in a short, silk, nightgown, and was looking at him as if she expected him to leave Mia's side and take her to bed. But all he could think about was Mia, and getting her mother to come to her side just as he had. "Christine! Can you go get Diane? I have to stay here with Mia"

"I don't think you want Diane, my Angel" She was referring back to when he was her angel of music, back when he loved her. "She's not the one for you; you've always loved me, and you still do."

"I do not!" Erik snapped, trying to calm Mia and fight with Christine at the same time, which proved to be easier done in theory than in actual practice. "I love Diane, I _don't _love you."

"Come with Me Erik…" Christine cooed seductively, holding out a hand to him. With a big flash of white light, Erik found himself temporarily blinded; and when his sight returned to him, he was in the main room, and looking at his beloved Diane having sex with Siegfried on the organ, though the organ produced no sound when they keys were hit.

Erik felt his heart fall, it was hard for him to witness someone he loved providing someone else the kind of sexual pleasure that she had told him she didn't want to give to him just yet. Was she holding it out for Siegfried? Evidently, because she was having sex with Siegfried right before his very eyes.

How could she do this to him? How could she deliberately mislead him in such a cruel way? She lied to him and worst of all, she was cheating on him on the very thing that had comforted him through the five years and some months after Christine had abandoned him.

"Do you still love her Erik? You see what she does?" Erik opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't. It took some tries before he could actually answer Christine's question.

"I do still love her." Christine's face fell as she stomped her bare foot and gave him a dirty look. But when she opened her mouth to speak, Carlotta's shriek exploded in the cavern, and the two turned to see Carlotta come out of the water in the lake (like Davy Jones's ship comes out of the ocean in _Pirates of the Caribbean_.) Her big red hoopskirt containing both the new managers, who both came out of her skirt bone dry.

It was all crazy, Erik could hear Mia screaming for him to take the sword out of her, Erik saw Diane screwing Siegfried on his organ, Christine was trying to seduce him, and Carlotta was screeching as the Managers tended to her every whim.

He had to "Wake up" Six times from that dream before he was actually awake, and even then, he doubted himself.

* * *

**I know the horseman thing was a little- lame. But it was a dream after all- and most dreams are a little- unusual.**


	27. Will it Suffice?

**Chapter Twenty Seven:** Will it suffice?

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Diane loved Erik with half her heart (The half that didn't already belong to Mia), and was glad that _finally_, after a year and a half of romantic push and pull, they were together; and best of all- Diane knew that with Erik, she was safe.

If Diane was forced to describe her love for Erik, for the love that they shared, she would have recited:

"We love with a love that was more than love, I and my Erik. A love that coveted the winged Seraphs of heaven, envy him and me." Which would have confused most people, but had she said it to Erik; he'd have known what she was talking about.

One afternoon in October, Diane had an interview with the local paper about her performance not long before; about how she came up with it, why she decided to do it, and what she would do to top it. Or more accurately; if she would be able to.

The reporter was a scrawny man, barely twenty, and that made Diane feel old; since she was twenty eight; only two years younger than Erik. The reporter had thick stubble of facial hair on his face, which made Diane glad that Erik didn't, and when he would start to get some, he'd shave it off. Although sometimes she liked it when he didn't, the prickly feeling that the little bristles of facial hair made, tickled.

"OK, so let's start off this interview with this question: How did you come up with that amazing routine?"

"Truthfully, I was going through a 'death-defying' faze at the time, and when I came up with the water tank trick, I was using that age-old trick; while adding a few personal touches to it."

"Interesting" He replied. "…and the fire one?"

"That one was really difficult to come up with. Firstly I was really irritated with my husband for trying to kill me by-well- burning me alive. So I figured I'd try to work that in somehow, it being the most traumatic thing to happen at the time." Diane was laid-back during the interview; she had interviews for various newspapers all the time. No matter where in the world she was, there was always some newspaper wanting the story; and wanting to know how she did her tricks. This one was no different.

"How did you do them, in fact, how do you do _any _of your tricks?"

"A magician never reveals her secrets." She told him, then laughing casually. That was her response to that question all the time, so it was easy to answer. "Why should I reveal my secrets? If I do, that doesn't make them a secret anymore."

"Good point. Where do you plan to go next once your charity work is finished?"

"….I don't know, I haven't really thought about it. I guess I might ask the managers for a job here; or maybe I'll pack up and move again- who knows? I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"Well- if you had to choose somewhere to go, anywhere in the world, where would it be? And why?"

"Probably either back to China, or to Singapore. China because I like their food for one, and I'd probably buy another Kimono there. It just seems like such an elegant place."

"…and Singapore?"

"Singapore because a magician lives there that I sort of-idolize. He retired years ago, back when I was eighteen or nineteen, and knows how to do tricks that I can't even imagine."

"Interesting." The reporter said, sprawling out her response to his question on the notepad he carried, having to stop every few minutes to ink the quill. "Speaking of your tricks, do you think your next show will top the last one?"

"…." Diane didn't know how to respond, she hadn't thought about how she was going to top herself. Those tricks were hard enough to come up with. "I don't know, I suppose they should."

Since the interview, that was all she could think about. How was she going to top herself? How was she going to astound the audience as she did that night? It became such a frustrating question that it became her obsession.

Erik had noticed how she was almost always drawing in her notebook, writing down notes, and trying to figure out a new- exciting- death-defying trick. She rarely ate anything anymore, and when she did- she would eat it at Erik's desk so she could review her previous tricks, and try to find a way to put them into a big trick that no one else had thought of.

"Hey…" He came to her one night while she was obsessively writing in her notebook, she'd not slept in days, and her eyes had begun to get bags under them. Erik was going out to run some errands that night, and realized how late Diane stayed up. "…you need to get some sleep Diane; you've been up for days."

"I need to top myself." She told him, flipping through her notebook. "I can't think of a trick that would top the water tank…" She felt Erik wrap his arms around her and give her a gentle peck.

"I know you'll figure something out, but for now; just get some sleep OK?" She nodded to him, even though she doubted she would. "Promise?"

"I promise." He nodded and gave her a kiss before leaving, and even as he left, he saw her still with her face in the notebook. He doubted she would sleep, but then again- she might.

Ironically enough, when he came back a couple of hours later; she had her face on the desk, with her eyes closed. She'd fallen asleep not long after he left, and after he got back on land; he carried her from the main room, and put her in the swan bed, letting her sleep.

Erik sang to her quietly after he gently put her on the bed, he sang quietly so Mia wouldn't hear him, but loud enough so that Diane would.

* * *

Diane spent days locked up in her room, finding no inspiration in Erik's home. She paced the room, back and forth, her eyes directed at the floor. She'd asked William to watch Mia while she worked, and Erik would come in and out of William's room where Mia slept, and check up on her. William was OK with it; Erik was Diane's _friend_, and he knew that was all he ever would be.

"Tricks are buzzing in my mind…" she groaned to herself, perhaps talking with herself could cause her to come up with _something_. "Something's hidden through a door…but I don't have the key…no matter how many times I've read my notes so many times…something's wrong…so hard to put my finger on." She flipped through her notebook, sighing. She picked up her glass of water off the table, but the sides that had gotten wet, caused it to slip through her fingers and hit the table, shattering and making a big mess. She starred at it; and spoke to herself again: "…or maybe it isn't as difficult as I've made it, maybe I've been trying much too hard…of course! I've been looking too close to see!" She grabbed a quill and ink, and began to scribble in her notebook before the idea faded. "The answers right in front of me! The simplest of annoyances is the best of tricks! I've been working too hard to make it flashy! I've been making it too elaborate and large!" She wrote the last note down in her notebook, then unlocked her bedroom door and stood, screaming: "I'VE GOT IT!"

* * *

On the night of her performance, everyone attended, wanting to know what 'knew and amazing' trick Diane had to show them. She'd practiced it over and over again; and had it perfect. It was simple, yet- amazing!

Everyone murmured to themselves as they awaited her show to begin, Diane brushed her long red hair; she knew her new trick inside and out. It was new, it was small, but it was great.

She wasn't nervous one bit, she was perfectly confident in her new trick, and it would probably even make the audience laugh a little.

"Hey there," Erik came to see her before her show began, his eyes filled with questions about her new trick; questions he knew she wouldn't answer. "Good luck, although you don't need it; you've got pure talent." She smiled as he got close enough to slide his arms around her waist and pull her into a kiss. "I can't wait to see what you've been slaving over for the past few weeks. I know it'll be great."

"I sure hope so." Erik took his hands off her just before William came to warn her that the show was starting in five minutes. Erik, after wishing her the best of luck again, went to his seat.

"He's sure been acting odd lately." William said, watching Erik make is way to his seat, then giving his gaze back to Diane.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean- never mind. I'll tell you after the show, now get out there!" Diane nodded, and went out onto the stage, where her loyal fans hit the roof in mad applause.

"Hello everyone!" She greeted proudly, causing some of her audience members to whistle at her. That sort of annoyed Erik, but he didn't care all _that_ much. "I've a new trick for you all tonight, but I'm saving it for my finale. Instead, I'm going to go over my o so old but o so classic tricks." The audience didn't care; they loved Diane's magic, new or old. So, they exploded again in applause.

Everyone watched as Diane went over old tricks that they'd forgotten about long ago, so they _seemed_ new. Erik watched his girl closely, knowing that she was completely confident in her trick, thus- saving it for her finale.

Finally her finale came, and to begin it, she had to borrow a coin from an audience member.

"I've got to cover it up with this glass." She said, still holding the coin in her hand, she covered it (plus her hand.) under a glass. She shut her eyes and took the glass off, seeing that it was still there.

Annoyed, she put the glass back over the coin and tried again- the coin was still there. She looked at the audience apologetically, and Erik knew that after that performance; she'd be pretty embarrassed.

She tried again and again, nothing happened. The audience was starting to get skeptical about her trick, thinking that it wouldn't work. More and more she tried, and more and more she failed. It was starting to look like a failed trick, until she lost her temper.

Diane slammed the glass (with the coin still in it) on the table, but it didn't shatter. It went right through the table and the audience heard it hit the floor. William moved the table out of the way and showed the shattered cup with the coin still inside.

The whole concert hall was ecstatic, and clapped as if their lives depended on it. That defiantly topped her other tricks, because it was completely original, no personal touches were made to make the trick unique, it was completely unique, and the audience loved it. Especially Erik, who was so sure that- after he saw her struggle a few times at the start- the trick was going to be a flop. But it was amazing; and adored by all her fans who attended.

The next issue of the newspaper that came out after her interview, said that her new trick had defiantly surpassed the one she'd done before.

* * *

**When Diane was talking to herself, I was listening to: "Jack's Obsession" from Nightmare Before Christmas (c) Tim Burton, and I just thought that related to the chapter.**

**Oh! and anyone who wants to draw anything from my fic, feel free to! I'd like to see some pix of my story on Deviant art n.n only if you give credit to me, put the link to the fic with the pic, and if you tell me about it so I can go see n.n**


	28. Change

**Chapter Twenty Eight:** Change

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Snow danced on the delicate winter air like the ballet girls danced on the wooden stage during a production, elegantly, without flaws, and beautifully. The usually cobblestone streets were frosted with snow, and it began to pile up on rooftops and on stoops.

Erik and Diane seemed to always have dates on the roof once the snow had collected, probably just to remember that their meeting on the roof nearly a year ago was when the two first started to actually communicate on a level.

There was never a moment that Erik let Diane forget that he loved her, and that he couldn't love anyone but her. She was always going to have him love her, even if she didn't want him to. But she knew she would _always_ want him to.

What Diane found to be the best part of their relationship, was the fact that Erik didn't pressure her to do anything. He would ask what she wanted, and if it wasn't the same; she would usually get her way.

The biggest thing though- was that Erik knew that she wasn't going to sleep with him, not yet. She didn't want to build another relationship purely on sexuality. She wanted it to be deeper than that, and it was. He knew her; he knew her mind, her heart, her wants and her fears. Diane's relationship with Erik was deeper than her relationship with Siegfried ever was.

It was kind of hard to believe that Diane and Erik hated each other almost a year or so before. Neither one thought that they'd find love in the other, the kind of love they wanted, and the kind they needed.

Erik needed a woman who was patient, and who could mother him, should he need it. He needed someone just as stubborn as he was; and who knew how he felt, but most of all; he needed someone understanding. Someone who wouldn't care about his face. He found it in Diane.

Diane needed someone kind, who would work with her stubbornness, and who wouldn't dream of hurting her the way she was hurt before. A man who loved what made her special, and who would love her daughter like his own. She found him in Erik.

Both needed someone who was an outcast, just as they were. Who would rather shy away from big events with a lot of people, just to sit around together, reading poetry and books. One was meant for the other, and they understood why they'd been so hurt in the past. So they'd treasure each other like they do.

Also, as the winter came, Diane had acquired a liking to graveyards. But only when they were drenched in snow; she didn't know why thought. She supposed it was because they were so pretty when covered in snow, the dreariness was lessened by the snow; and when she wasn't with Erik, Mia, or William, she was at the graveyard.

That didn't mean though, that Erik didn't sometimes tag along with her for a date. He too, liked snow-covered graves.

One afternoon, Diane decided to go to the graveyard alone. The sky was cloudy, and looked as if there was going to be a snow-downpour later that day. That would be nice, especially the way Paris would look _after_ the snow.

The snow crunched under her boot as she walked, admiring the way the headstones looked under the snow, especially the bigger, fancier ones. The sculptures of angels looked especially nice, their features highlighted by the snow. She truly wished she'd grown up around snow; it'd have been nice to experience the feeling of winter every year.

"Wandering Child…so lost…so helpless…yearning for my guidance…" She knew the voice, it was Erik. She smiled to herself and turned to where the voice was.

"Hello Erik..." She said quietly as he glided away from his hiding place behind an angel headstone, and approached her. It was annoying that he was a whole head taller than her, but she figured it was because he was a man. That- or she was short. No matter what it was, it didn't matter; she couldn't change it anyway. "Do you often follow me?"

"For _protection_" He playfully snapped. "You seem to always get into some sort of danger when I'm not around." Diane smiled and stood on her toes to give him a kiss.

"You're such a lovable jerk." Erik savored her kiss, as if it was the last one she would give him. If he knew Diane like he knew he did, she'd do _something_ dangerous and it might very well be.

Diane adored the way he savored every minute she was with him, everything she did with him he savored, it was because of that she knew that with him; she'd be happy. She wouldn't ever be beaten again, neither would Mia. They were both perfectly safe with him, and it was that, that they loved the most.

He saw her look cold, and even though she didn't say anything; he knew she was, so he gave her his cape to wear. It warmed her right up just as it had the other night he'd given it to her. The night on the roof.

Erik savored her because he knew that she would be able to give him the one thing he wanted more than Christine, the one thing she knew would make him happy.

She could give him a family to cherish.

Their kisses slowly lengthened; the two found a snow-covered cemetery a very romantic spot, causing them to taste the sweetness that is true, undeniable, love.

* * *

William had a feeling something was different. Ever since Diane's show with the water tank; there had been something different about her; but it was such a foreign thing that he wasn't even entirely sure what it was.

She'd been in a better mood; she was no longer sulking, worried or paranoid. She was happy; and as happy as that made him, he couldn't help but question the nature of her sudden change in mood.

Of the late, she'd been spending an awful lot of time away from the opera. Sure, she'd disappear every now and again before, but it was more frequent now. Mia would stay behind though; because she had to be schooled.

He'd decided to follow her one of the days she went to the cemetery herself. Some would call it stalking, but William called it protecting her from potential harm. But little did he know- she had a protector, she had someone to keep her from harm, and it _wasn't_ him.

He rode behind her cab at a distance on a white horse, cliché but it was a white horse. Perhaps he felt he was her prince, so he had to get a white horse. It wasn't like he was being cocky or anything; he truly was concerned.

William was in love with her, and he'd do anything to protect her. Even if she didn't love him back, he wanted to keep trying. To keep persisting at trying to win her into his heart, but he had to learn that a heart cannot be won, it simply goes where it wants.

Not only was he protecting Diane and trying to win her heart, but he also had heard rumors about the "Phantom of the Opera" of five years ago. He probably would never have made the connection- had Carlotta not told him about the half-mask.

Since then, he was worried that Erik was going to hurt Diane just as he hurt Christine and Raoul. He was protecting Diane from being stalked by a monster.

He kept a good distance from her when she went into the cemetery, hiding behind large headstones and sepulchers. He followed her all around, and what he saw broke his heart.

She was in the arms of Erik, smiling at him, and kissing him. Erik held her and made sure Diane was comfortable in his arms, as she was. It angered William, so much so that it was at the point where he took out his sword and attacked Erik without any warning.

He got in a good hit, he was able to hit his arm and rip through his fluffy white shirt.

"William!" Diane scolded, falling to Erik's side and trying to stop the bleeding. But Erik was angry at William now, so he too took out his sword and started attacking him. Diane watched as the two men clashed their swords, sending a ring that echoed through the graveyard. "Stop it the both of you! You're behaving like _children_!" But her anger fell on deaf ears, the two men were angry at the other; for two entirely different reasons. William because he was jealous of what he'd been trying to do for two years, and Erik was able to accomplish in one year. Erik- because William started it. "Stop it!"

Erik got in a hit too, slicing William's arm and causing him to bleed just as much as Erik had been caused to. They stood on strong but small headstones and clashed their swords, sure- it was demeaning to the soul that inhabited the stone, but they were fighting.

William got off the headstone and made his way to a bigger headstone, one shaped like an angel in flight, fighting with one hand and holding onto the right wing with the other.

"Stop it!" Diane tried again but no dice. "Stop before you both get killed!" Erik was able to get a hit in on William's shoulder, causing him to yell out in pain and slash Erik across the chest while he was lost in his momentary triumph. "Erik! William! Stop!" still no obedience from either one. They were fighting like two little kids, and Diane had to be the adult out of the three and stop it; although that proved to be a bit of a challenge.

By the time both men were nearly exhausted, they were both cut up very badly, and bleeding almost twice as worse. But they kept fighting, and would keep fighting until the other was dead.

Finally, feeling very annoyed at being both ignored and fought over, Diane Stepped in and grabbed William's sword in mid-air. The thing was- Erik didn't see her until it was too late.

She'd moved her hand to grab his sword too, but instead of grabbing it; it had hit her and sliced her hand open, causing her to gasp; drop William's sword, and wince.

William was at Diane's side just as quickly as Erik was; both of the guys fussing over her sliced hand, but soon the worry that William felt for Diane cemented into rage toward Erik. Immediately, he gave Erik a very dirty look, and pushed him away from Diane.

"I can't believe you!" William shouted, stepping over Diane as he pushed Erik away from her. "You can't touch anything without destroying it!" Erik was angry, yes, but he couldn't quite make any movements other than falling back when William shoved him. He wasn't sure what paralyzed him; it could have been the aftershock of accidentally hurting Diane, or something. He didn't know. "Get the hell out of here!" Erik scrambled to his feet, and ran. "Get the hell out! Go! Freak!"

Diane watched in awe, paralyzed also by William's change. But the second the paralysis wore off, she smacked him across the face with her good hand. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"He tried to hurt you." He spoke with a rock-hard voice, grabbing her bicep and pulling her towards the white horse.

"No he didn't William and you know that!" She argued, freeing her arm and backing away from him.

"Are you nuts? I just _saw_ him!"

"William I don't care. It was just an _accident_ and you know it was! You were all ready to hate him the minute he and I became friends. Whatever problem you have with him- you'll just have to resolve because I love him." William saw that her voice was colder than it had ever been; she never felt such a cement of anger towards him. She was shaking.

"You told me you weren't going to love him!"

"Oh yeah like I planned to fall in love" She snapped sarcastically. "It just happened William, Erik loves me and you'll just have to make peace with him." William grabbed her arm again and once again tried to put her on the horse.

"I'm not going to let him hurt you like Siegfried hurt you! That freak isn't going to ruin you anymore!" But once more, she freed herself.

"Ruin me? Erik _saved _me! Countless times! If it wasn't for him, I'd have died on a number of occasions. He promised to protect me _from_ Siegfried. You're so blinded my jealousy that you can't see that he isn't Siegfried, he's better." William reached for her again, but missed and she took off running in Erik's direction.

* * *

Erik was patching up his wounds. His sandy blond hair in his eyes, his face unmasked, and he was completely topless. Since his biggest wound was across his chest.

Tears fell down his not-deformed side of his face; he wasn't upset because he was called a freak. Not because he'd technically lost the fight to William, and not because he was hurt.

He cried- because he hurt Diane.

It was his fault; he sliced her hand and hurt her. He felt terrible about it; and it made him cry harder, but still silently.

Why'd he hurt her? He was so awful! He keeps hurting people he loves, he hurt the first woman to love him back. He would never get over the way he hurt her, he wouldn't ever forget the look she had in her eyes when he sliced her hand open with his sword.

He was caught off guard by the sloshing in the water, and when he looked up, he saw Diane, thigh-deep in water, trudging up to him.

"Diane…" He sighed quietly, "You shouldn't be here, I could hurt you again…"

"Don't believe William Erik, it was an accident. I know you wouldn't hurt me." She was so sweet, so nice, and so gentle, he couldn't stand it.

"Why do you say something like that?" he sadly hissed, standing up from where he was sitting and walking away from her. "I cut open your hand, I made you bleed; it was _my fault_." Diane approached him from the front, and showed him her sliced hand. (After the water in the lake had washed away the blood,) he saw it was just a very tiny cut.

"It's not that bad Erik; it's just a tiny little scratch. I get worse cuts than this just walking down the stairs." He didn't smile, he still felt guilty for hurting her the way he did. He swore he wouldn't hurt her- and he did. "I know it was an accident, and it's not a big deal. Erik…" She tried to get him to believe her; she tried to get him to understand that it wasn't that big of a deal. But he was still angry at himself for what he did. Even if it wasn't a big deal.

"I don't think you and Mia should come here anymore, I'll just end up hurting her too-" but just as he ended his sentence, Diane caught his lips and brought them into a kiss. A kiss that he savored just as he had the others, but probably more so, since he felt she shouldn't be with him anymore.

"Erik…I love you, and it's just a _little_ cut, not only that but it was an _accident_." She said to him, brushing the hair out of his eyes, so she could peer right into his soul. "Its nothing to get so upset about and the fact that you feel _this_ bad about such a little cut; shows that you're a wonderful man Erik." He didn't know what to say, all he could think to do was watch her gentle face, then give her a kiss. She was an understanding woman, and he loved her for that.

Once their kiss pulled apart, Diane brought her hand up to his deformity, and held it. Just as her magic made her special, Erik's face made him special. He loved her magic, and she loved his face. The thing that made them different from the rest of the world, made them unique in each other's eyes.

Erik valued her touch, bringing his hand to her's, only to gently press it to his face so he could continue to feel her warmth.

"…I love you…" he whispered quietly, her touch still captivating him. Diane watched him, than did something that actually caught Erik a little off guard.

He saw her untie the strings on his cape that kept it around her neck, and let it fall to her feet.

He felt her slide her hand away from him, and unbutton her white shirt, but three buttons down- just as her breasts were being exposed- he stopped her.

"Are you sure…?" she nodded then stood on her tip toes to kiss him.

"…I'm sure…" she whispered once she pulled her kiss away, he watched as she finished off the buttons on her white shirt, and it fell to the ground.

* * *

**That's it! I've been waiting like- forevur to do this chapter! Mostly because I've had it rolling around in my head for a while. **

**Omega I love how shexi he looked in my brain! It was so hawt! n.n**

**It actually turned out a lot longer than I initially planned.**

**The chapter title is from the song CHANGE from **_**Queen of the damned**_**, I worked like- sixtee bazillion titles and none of them worked. This one did tho **

**The chunk of dialogue that Diane and William had at the end of the fight scene was actually from Edward Sissorhands, when Jim was a jerkface supreme and pushed Edward. **


	29. Blind

**Chapter Twenty Nine:** Blind

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Diane felt two warm arms slid around her waist the next morning, and gentle kisses on her back. Smiling with her eye closed, she turned over to face him, opened her eyes, and gave him a sweet kiss.

"I love you…" he told her for what seemed like the billionth time. Each time he said it; he meant it with his entire heart. She let him kiss her one more time before turning back over and letting him hold her from behind. "…more than anything…" She smiled wider, and felt him kiss her under her ear. "…you're so sweet…and pretty…and wonderful…" She loved how he was so great to her. Even though Erik had never had a woman give him that sort of pleasure (and not in a wet dream) Diane could honestly say he was better than Siegfried, Not just because he made sure she knew _how much_ he loved her, but because he _did_ love her.

She turned back over to face him, and brushed some of his hair out of his face. No matter what people thought about him because of his face, no matter what they said or what they did; Diane loved him.

As strange as it seemed to the both of them, they were happy that they were unlucky in love. Erik was glad he let Christine go with Raoul, and Diane- for the firs time- was glad that Siegfried did what he did. Had things turned out differently, had Erik forced Christine to stay, and had Siegfried been a wonderful husband, they never would have experienced a love that was more than love.

"I love you" Diane told him, moving so that she could feel the warmth of his body, so that she could hear the beat of his heart, and the rising and falling of his breaths. Erik moved his hands so that one was around her shoulders, and the other was around her waist. "Don't you think it's kind of funny?"

"What is?"

"The fact that- when I first came here- you and I fought all the time, and that I never imagined being so crazy about you," Erik understood what she was talking about, it took him a long time to realize that he loved her, and even longer to admit it. She snuggled closer to him, just to take in his body warmth. Erik moved so he could look her in the eyes, and she saw an amused smile spread on his lips. She smiled right back, and gave him a kiss.

* * *

Eventually though, Diane did have to go back to the surface; though she dreaded the moment. She wanted to stay with Erik, she wanted to stay with the man she loved, and who she knew, loved her a _lot_. 

After he had to let her go, he returned to his home, which seemed empty. Emptier than usual, so empty that he almost went to the surface, kidnapped Diane, and brought her back down to his home, just so he'd have someone to talk to.

Why'd it seem so much emptier than it usually did when Diane had to leave?

Probably because he wanted her to stay a little longer, he wanted to hold onto her for five more minutes, to taste her lips for a few minutes more, and to just have her around forever.

But he knew she had to leave, she had things to do above, and all he could do is sit at his organ, and wait for her to come back.

With a lack of anything else better to do, Erik went looking through his house for no apparent reason. Though it wasn't a house, the more Diane and Mia came and the closer he got to them, the more it started to feel like home.

Before long, he spotted a room that he'd forgot existed. Ironically, it wasn't far from the study, in fact, it was just across the hall.

It was pretty empty; there really wasn't anything in there. There was only one lone cot that was it. He probably put it in there for when he and Christine had a kid, but he didn't need it for that anymore.

After starring at the room a while, he realized what he could do with it, he could give it a purpose.

So he found a broom in the kitchen, leaning against the wall, and started to clean up the spare room a bit. Turning it into Mia's own personal room for when she and Diane stay over. He could sleep in his bed with Diane if Mia had her own bedroom.

* * *

William came to Diane and asked where she'd been, but she just gave him the cold shoulder and walked away. She sought out Mia, whom was in her room finishing up school work that had been assigned to her by William the day before. 

"Mia Honey, want to go visit Erik later?" Mia looked up at her mother, and nodded eagerly. "OK, when I finish running some errands, and when you finish your school work, we can go."

"But what about your show momma? Don't you have to perform tonight?" Diane paused; Mia had reminded her of something she'd forgotten about entirely.

"That's right, I do…" she sighed, she_ really_ wanted to hurry with her errands and go see Erik, but she had to perform, even though she knew she and Mia would end up sleeping at Erik's lair that night. "…ok, when I run some errands, you finish your school work, and after I perform, _then _we'll go see Erik." Mia nodded, and went back to her school work, all the while wondering what games she'll force Erik to play, she was even thinking about asking him to teach her how to swim- in water he could walk around in.

Diane practiced her trick in the concert hall, for the first time, she didn't want to perform. She wanted to go see Erik; she wanted to sit with him in the study, with Mia on her lap, listening to him reading to them.

But no, she had to perform. She had to work, she had to earn money for the managers, and she had to wonder what would happen when she had to leave. But that was a thought for another day. That much she _did_ know.

But the one thing that helped pass the hours she had to practice was the memory of when she gave herself to him, mind, body, and soul.

While she was practicing however, William came to her, and tried to talk about the other night. He didn't want her to be angry with him, even though he knew she had good reason to be.

"I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk, but Diane- you've got to understand that it surprised me. I wasn't expecting you and Erik- whom I thought were just friends- to be "together" like that. I'm sorry I'm so protective of you Diane, I'm sorry for trying to keep you from being as morbid as you were." Diane paused; she was listening to him, waiting to hear something that would make her forgive him. But the more he spoke, the more she began to get irritated with him.

Oddly enough, while he was stuttering through an apology, she remembered when she was thirteen. She could remember it vividly; because it was the second worst moment in her life.

She had a best friend named Sheila. The two of them were thick as thieves, and could easily entertain themselves by playing pranks on the unsuspecting. Shelia was the best friend Diane could ever wish for. When she would stay over at Diane's house for the night, they would talk about what they pictured their lives would be when they grew up.

Diane pictured herself with a handsome man who loved her powers as much as he loved her, they would have a child together, and they would all live together in a cottage by the sea in Ireland. She loved Ireland when she was a child, she wasn't sure why, but it appealed to her.

Sheila had a completely different dream. She pictured herself with a handsome man, they would have a bunch of children together; and they would be a rich family living in a giant palace in Austria.

However, their picture-perfect friendship was shattered when Diane got her first boyfriend, a man named Rick.

Rick was handsome, and he liked her powers, even though he wanted her to blend in with everyone else. She had a big crush on him, and when they began to date, she did whatever he told her regarding her powers.

Sheila knew her friend wouldn't be happy with Rick, because in all reality- he was an ass. In fact, he even hated Sheila! He mostly didn't like her because she was Australian. Having moved to Diane's home town when she was Mia's age.

But Diane was head-over-heels for him, and got angry at Sheila for trying to keep her from making the worst mistake of her life. Thinking back, Diane wished it would have gone differently; had Sheila been there to warn her about Siegfried, she could have been spared a lifetime of horrors.

Sheila's warnings became more and more frequent, and the more she bad-mouthed Rick, the angrier it made Diane. Eventually, it got so bad that the two girls called off their friendship, Sheila moved back to Australia with her parents, and Diane was left with only a boyfriend, and no best friend. A boyfriend who-soon after- dumped Diane.

Remembering that time, remembering how she lost a friend because she'd been so mean and so cold, made her want to forgive William even more. Before too long, William saw her eyes become hollow once again.

"Diane…" he said gently, watching his friend with careful, loving eyes. Diane's eyes darted from the ground up to his; and peered right through him.

"I'm sorry…" she quietly spoke, just as she had before when misery was all that swirled around her heart. Back before she found love in the phantom, back before Siegfried had left her to find happiness. "…I shouldn't be so angry; I don't want to lose another friend because of a boyfriend. But you must understand William, Erik he- he's a wonderful man, and he loves Mia more than anything. I want you to promise me that you'll _try_ to like him."

William watched Diane for a moment, watching her eyes before responding with the answer he knew he would have to keep true. "I promise." She gave him a light smile, and thanked him.

That night at her show, as she gazed out over the audience; she saw the face of hell. The face that was a worse sight than Erik's deformity, worse than anything she could see or imagine.

In row to, in the middle of the row; sat Siegfried.

* * *

**Yeah, the chapter title is from the song 'Blind' from Lifehouse, a really kick-ass band that I lurve. **

**Basically, if you've heard the song, you'd understand why I picked those lyrics. So for those who haven't, here is why:**

"**My love for you is blind**

**That I couldn't make you see it**

**Couldn't make you see it**

**And I love you more than you'll ever know." Basically, it's a one-word description of William's feelings for Diane. He loves her so much that he's willing to let her go. I couldn't make him say that without him having to tell her that he was in love with her. So I figured I better mention it here.**


	30. Taking Refuge

**Chapter Thirty:** Taking refuge

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

For a whole Month, Siegfried did nothing. He didn't speak to Diane; he didn't try to win her back by going back stage and trying to talk to her the way they used to when they were dating. In fact, he made himself completely scarce. Diane had grown paranoid when she saw he came back; but when he did nothing- she let her guard down once again. He never came around the opera house; and that was the only time she saw him.

William never did apologize or try to get along with Erik, because he was stalling. He made some stupid excuse to take a leave when Erik came around; and he returned when he was sure either all of them were gone or just Erik had left. He didn't want to apologize to Erik, part of him wanted to hang onto that anger and jealousy that had engulphed him earlier.

Diane had become so relaxed after Siegfried made no contact with them; that she didn't fear leaving Mia with a baby sitter after a while. But the baby-sitter wasn't Erik, so Mia ended up ditching her and going for short walks in the opera house. She didn't wander too far though.

But one night in particular, that one night she should have stayed with her baby-sitter like her mother told her to, and behaved. But she didn't; but she wished she had.

It started out just like any other night. William had gone with Diane to run some errands before she and Mia disappeared again for the night; she had put the errands off to the last minute, so they had to hope everything was still open. She had to mail a letter to her grandfather, pick up a book she'd ordered a week before, and a few others.

While Diane was out; they left Mia with her baby sitter, who would have much rather gone to the cast party than baby sit. So- Mia decided to liberate her from her duties. It couldn't be _that_ hard to find Erik, could it? She would always find him on her own; but of course, those were accidents. Perhaps she would get lucky and find him on purpose.

She ended up getting lost in the opera house, again. Even though she was not all that far from her and her mother's room. She walked further and further into the opera house, hoping to remember a passage from back when her mother walked with her through the house. Yet- it was so dark she couldn't see a thing.

There was an odd feeling following her through the opera house, but every time she turned- there was nothing but blackness starring back at her. She hoped it was Erik following her, oh god how she hoped that Erik was watching over her as she searched for him. She didn't want it to be a bad person.

A few steps later the feeling came back, stronger than ever, so strong that it made her start to sob.

"Who's there? Is it William or Erik? Mother or father?" she sobbed quietly, the feeling was bothersome to her; and it scared her worse than any nightmare could. Oh god couldn't Erik just come out of the darkness and show her he was the one who watched over her.

But silence followed and nothing more. At that point, Mia was terrified out of her wits, and decided to forget trying to find Erik; she would see him later that night anyway wouldn't she?

Mia turned her heel to what was in front of her, and began to run back to her baby-sitter. She would run back to her baby-sitter's safe (albeit uninterested) sight. But as she ran, as she trudged her tiny five-year-old legs down the dark halls, she was grabbed by a pair of arms and pulled into the darkness. Her loud screams for help being muffled by a handkerchief being pushed against her mouth.

* * *

"I can't believe she _lost_ her!" Diane yelled at William as the two raced down the halls of the Opera Populaire, crying out Mia's name. "What if Siegfried got her?" The mere idea alone was enough to drive Diane into hysterics. The measly picture of her daughter, with the hands of her father tightening around her neck; all the while wondering why her mother wasn't there to protect her, It was enough to cause Diane to be admitted into an insane asylum.

"Don't think like that Diane, we'll find her." William assured her in between calls for Mia.

They had passed the hall that was actually more of back-stage than a hall. But they passed it none the less, and as they went through, they heard whimpers. Diane held her candle above her head, and saw her daughter.

Mia always whimpered like a puppy when her father- or anyone for that matter- would beat her. When she was hurt in any way, she would whimper like a kicked dog, and cry out for salvation. That time- it was no different.

Diane fell to her knees and reached for her daughter, who inched away in terror. In terror for who might be reaching for her.

"Mia honey…it's me…its Momma…" Diane cooed, helping her baby out of the dark and into her arms, like helping a cat out of its hiding place. Diane couldn't see what had happened to her baby, but all that mattered right then was that Mia was alive. "Honey…who did this…?"

"D-D-Daddy…" She sobbed into her mother's warm bosom. "Daddy hurt me bad…"

"I'm here baby…daddy won't get you ever again…" She could feel tears spring to her eyes, but that was as far as they got. Diane stroked her child's hair, and she could hear her cough as if she had been choked previously, but not to death. Diane glanced up at William, and then collected Mia in her arms, resting her on her hip. Immediately and without a word, the two took off, with William following surely behind.

* * *

Diane pushed the mirror open just as she had done many times before. She'd snuck and been brought down to Erik's so many times during the two years she was at the opera house that she knew the route he took by heart.

But as they stepped in, William demanded to know where they were going.

"Don't go far away William." She warned him, taking his wrist in her hand. "If you should become lost, I shall have to bribe Erik to hunt you down; and after the way you performed last time you two met up I don't think he'll be much inclined to." William winced, he knew she was right; but he still couldn't help but wonder what that cavern had to do with Erik or her. She shut the mirror tightly behind them, and continued forward; not paying any mind to the rats that scurried by. But the more she walked, the faster she seemed to go. William had a hell of a time keeping up with her.

"Why are we here?"

"He'll _kill_ her! This is the only place in the world where we'll be safe from him." She told him, her voice was cold as ice, and he froze just hearing it. "Just trust me William." He nodded and continued on behind her. He made sure not to trail behind; becoming lost in a maze such as that strange labyrinth beneath the opera house was a _very _bad idea.

It seemed like a long, long way down. But when they hit a pool of water, he became confused. But Diane asked that he _trust_ her, so- he did; and followed her into the water.

* * *

Erik had been sketching in the ledger he was given for Christmas a little over a year ago, and was surprised to hear someone walking through the water. But it didn't sound like it was just one someone, it sounded like a pair of someones. He turned his head to see Diane splashing thought he water with Mia on her hip and William following her closely behind.

"Hello Diane." He greeted, completely ignoring William. Diane reached the land, and without even trying to get the water out of her boots, she approached him and immediately, he saw something was wrong. "What is it?" She looked at him, and then at Mia, who had her whole body turned away from Erik.

"Mia honey, show Erik what daddy did." Almost as if she was ashamed of it, Mia turned around, and her sudden change in appearance shocked Erik completely.

Her lip was busted open with some dried blood on it; she had a black eye, her hair was tangled as if someone had been pulling on it, her tiny shins had bruises up to her knees, and cuts all up her arm. Erik looked at Mia for a moment, letting her appearance process in his mind.

Down the eye had was blackened, a small tear ran down her face.

"It all hurts Erik…" She whimpered, and Erik immediately got the picture of a kicked dog from her whimper. She held her arms out to him, and almost immediately, he collected her in his arms, carefully holding her; making sure not to hit a wound to make it hurt worse.

"I'll take her to her room, OK Diane?" She nodded at his request, and Erik set off for Mia's room, where he gently put her down in her bed. She cried out in pain once her back hit the bed, it arched and she cried. He helped her sit up, and asked if she would show him her back.

She did; and when he saw it; he almost cried.

Her back- her pale back- was covered with little blue, purple, and black spots. They looked like a leopard's spots, but so much more gruesome. Erik fixed her gown back the way it was before she showed him, and he tried to think about what to do about that.

"Maybe if we put some ice on it, it'll be OK." Erik said to her, with her nodding in agreement. But of course- whatever he'd said; she'd have agreed to it. Erik nodded at her sweetly, giving her a kiss on the top of her head, and promising to return.

He went out into the main room and saw Diane and William trying to find something to do; but all he acknowledged was Diane. "Her back has tons of bruises on it, I'm guessing if we put some ice on it; it'll stop for a while." Diane followed him into the kitchen were he got the ice.

"God damn it." She swore to herself, but Erik heard her. "I _should_ have been taking care of her, or better yet- I should have left her here with you. That dumb ass baby sitter couldn't keep her from running off." Erik finished getting the ice, but left it on the marble (or stone, whatever.) counter to go over to Diane and give her a kiss.

"Listen, I'm probably the last guy to look on the bright side, but at least she isn't dead. Her cuts will heal up; the ice will make the swelling on her bruises go down, and at last nothing is broken. Now I'm not saying that when I see Siegfried I won't throttle him for what he did- but we can take solace in knowing Mia is safe now." She nodded, but still felt guilty. How was it that a man who spent so long in the darkness could be so optimistic?

Truthfully, Erik wondered the same thing. But he had a feeling it was because of the light Diane and Mia showed him; they brought him out of the darkness, and showed him what it was like to be truly happy.

Erik made a stop by his room to fetch a shirt for Mia to wear to bed that night, the next day he would go in search of Diane and Mia's things, and bring them below. They would be staying with him for a long time by the looks of it.

He returned to Mia, gave her the shirt to wear that night, and left the room while she dressed. She was glad to see that the part in the front buttoned up like her mother's shirts did.

He returned within minutes, and put the icepack against Mia's back, causing her to flinch.

"I'm sorry baby; this'll be an uncomfortable night." He apologized as he gently nudged her back down on her bed with the icepack on the outside of the shirt, and her back being escalated by a pillow. As the night waned on, Diane came into Mia's room, watching as Erik sat by her side, comforting her through all her discomfort.

"William wants to know where he can sleep." Diane told him, her gentle voice bringing his eyes to look at her.

"He can sleep in the study; I suppose there are still extra blankets and pillows in the closet." He wasn't crazy about William staying with them; he knew he'd have to sleep with one eye open.

"Thanks," she paused, watching her boyfriend sooth her daughter, promising her that the pain would go away; and soon enough she'll be able to lie in her bed and sleep comfortably. "How is she?"

"Uncomfortable." It seemed that the subject change brought a lighter mood to the room; Erik was glad to talk to Diane about Mia, and about how much he cherished them both. But when William was brought up; he didn't want to talk about it. "I'm going to stay here tonight and take care of her. So don't worry about taking up the bed." Diane nodded, and approached him. She took a seat on the edge of her daughter's bed, and watched the two. "I'm going to go for your things tomorrow, and you two will stay here for a while."

"Three" She corrected, but wanting to take it back when she felt the mood in the room change like the tides.

"Right, three." He pretended to appreciate her correction; although he made it invisibly clear that he wanted it only to be two. He didn't want William snooping around his home, he didn't want some crazy guy attacking him every time he kissed her; or every time he made it clear to her that he loved her. He didn't like William, but he did know that if he had to choose between William and Raoul, he'd choose William. He may have greatly disliked William, but he _hated_ Raoul.

"I know you don't like it that he's here." Diane spoke gently, watching Erik stroke Mia's hair while listening to her. "But I told him to behave himself. As much of a jerk that he was, and even though I have every right to be angry with him; I can't be. He helped me so much, before we came here. I remember when we'd met, I was a terrible mess." Erik listened to her, with Mia's tiny hand in his larger-by-comparison hand, taking in his comfort. "I was always sad; I could barely get through a day without thinking that I'd made a mistake, but knowing that leaving was the only option. I was so upset that Mia couldn't even come near me without seeing me break down in tears.

He'd lost his family when I met him; he told me all about it. He had a wife and a daughter, and he loved them both with all of his heart- if not more. He'd gone out that night to run some errands, and when he came back- their home was in flames. It killed him that day, and somehow- I suppose he's trying to keep me from the same fate, but in a different form. He doesn't want to lose Mia and me like he lost his wife and girl child." Erik's eyes were fixed on her's, he didn't know all of that, but it didn't settle his mind any. All he could do was watch Diane for a moment, then give his attention back to Mia.

"I suppose to calm dear William's mind- we must have a man-to-man talk?" Diane smiled at his good natured reply, it wasn't angry, and it wasn't sorrowful.

"OK, but before you do, I'm going to confiscate your swords so you won't kill each other." Erik smiled at Diane as she gave him a kiss; and left the room to find the extra blankets and pillows to set William up in Erik's study. Erik however- spent the rest of the night at Mia's bedside, stroking her hair; and promising her that everything would be OK.


	31. Man To Man

**Chapter Thirty One: **Man-To-Man

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Diane was very sensitive when Erik was leaving to retrieve their belongings. Mia was confined to her room and would be for a few days; and William didn't like sleeping on the sofa in the study, but he couldn't complain. As he stood on the bank of his lair, Diane begged him not to go.

He-however- assured her very sweetly and very seductively that he would be right back, within two hours at the most. But while he was gone, she was unable to sit still for any amount of time. She knew he'd be OK; Siegfried knew nothing about him, so he'd have no reason to attack him.

She ended up sitting with Mia in her room, using her daughter's condition to sooth her worried soul. Mia was miserable at that point; she couldn't get a wink of sleep that night, every time she moved- a new pain shot through her body like wildfire. Making her eyes pop open and a whimper to escape her lips.

"I hate this…" She moaned to her mother, who sat beside her, stroking her hair. "It hurts so bad…"

"I know baby, I know. But Erik, Me, and William are all going to take perfect care of you; I promise." Mia nodded, and starred up at the roof, looking as if she was waiting for something to happen.

"Momma…what's Daddy's real name?"

"Siegfried." Diane answered, brushing some of her daughter's hair out of her eyes before it bothered her. "Why?"

"I want Erik to be my daddy…would it be OK if I called him that? Can I call him daddy?" Diane paused, looking upon her daughter's beaten, scarred, bruised, albeit beautiful face; and eventually, nodded.

"I think Erik would like that." Mia struggled with a smile, but eventually did get one on her face. "You know what Mia?"

"What?"

"Erik really loves us, he told me so. He promised he wouldn't be like d- Siegfried. And…I trust him. Do you?" Mia nodded eagerly, but ended up hitting a bruise on the back of her neck, causing her to whimper.

"I do trust Daddy." Diane nodded, and gave Mia a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm going to go wait for him OK? If you need anything at all, I'm just in the main room OK? All you have to do is call for me." Mia nodded, and after her mother placed another kiss on her forehead, she watched her make her leave into the main room.

As Diane waited, she couldn't help but wonder- was that constricting feeling she had in her heart when she couldn't find Mia- what Erik felt every time Diane did something foolish?

It was; it was that same worry that she wouldn't ever see Mia again. That same fear that she was losing someone so close to her, someone she loved more than anything. The fear was almost so great that she almost apologized to Erik for causing him so much distress.

She waited and waited, the hour and forty five minutes that he was gone felt like an eternity; but he returned just as promised- and with a reasonable amount of their belongings. Although- none of Williams. He set Diane's bags down in the master bedroom, before he put Mia's things in her room.

"Hey Mia," he greeted warmly, putting her gowns and such in the dresser he'd found in the room, and lined the outside perimeter of her floor with her many dolls that she instructed him to get for her. "Did you get a nap in?" She shook her head miserably, causing Erik to give her a look of sympathy. "Poor girl, I know this isn't any fun. Do you want one of your dolls now?" She nodded, and with complete confidence, she said:

"Yes I want Becky- Daddy." He lifted the brunette girl dressed like a Japanese gothic-Lolita (which would be in the future a ways), but at the title 'daddy' he paused in mid lift.

"What did you call me?" He asked gently, and with a wider smile, she said:

"Daddy." Erik couldn't help himself; a wide smile grew on his lips as he set the doll gingerly down by Mia, and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you Mia." He assured her as the smile only widened on his face, and as he attempted to make Mia comfortable enough to get a nap in. "and thank you, it's because of you I understand so much." His statement confused her, but he dared not explain it; all he did was stroke her hair, and ask her to take a nap.

"I can't…it hurts too bad…"

"Here, I'll help." He gently said, sitting on the bed so her head could rest comfortable against his shirt. He stroked her hair with his fingers, and gently sang her to sleep.

It worked so many times in the past, when the troubles surrounding her mind kept her from achieving sleep; Erik's singing could always put her in the sweet salvation in her mind. That time was no different, but he worried she would be awake in a few minutes from the pain.

But to his surprise, she laid very still as she slept. Perhaps her body had decided that it was time to ignore the sings of pain for a moment, and let the poor girl sleep. Perhaps her nerves that caused the pain needed sleep as well; and they rested along with the rest of her body. But for whatever reason, Mia was very still; and slept like the dead.

When Erik returned to the main room, he saw Diane had gone to take a bath, and William was the only one in the main room, and he was reading.

"Diane was right" Erik jumped slightly when William spoke, only casually glancing up at him from his book. "You're very nice to Mia. I think that's the important thing to her. That little girl is all she's got left."

"Not anymore." Erik replied icily, "I'm going to be around for a long time, and I plan on spending every day of the life I've got left with them."

"You must forgive me for being protective of her." William began right away. He didn't want to apologize to Erik for anything; but he did love Diane, and he promised her he would. Right then was as good a time as any. "I don't want to see her get hurt again. I don't think she could handle having to go through anymore pain."

"She won't." Erik answered bluntly, keeping his distance from William, who understood why entirely. "I assure you." William nodded at him, but wasn't sure where else to carry the conversation; he didn't quite know how to apologize for attacking him like he had. "I suspect you've got more reasons to hate me than you're letting on. Perhaps you harbor secret feelings for Diane, and my loving her is getting in the way of that?" William glanced down at the floor; unable to meet Erik's smug gaze.

"You don't know her like I do." William told him quickly, Erik _really_ doubted that. "Even if she hates someone with all her heart, even if they beat her child and broke her heart- no matter what they did- she would always love them. She's got compassion like that of no other woman, she had to; Mia depended on her for all of it-" Erik broke in; he knew all of that already.

"I'm aware of Diane's saint-like patients and compassion. She'd confided in me a little over a year ago, and that was when I learned of it." William's gaze met Erik's once again, and Williams was filled with growing hate. "Now why is it _really_ that my loving her bothers you so?"

"Because I love her," He snapped, quiet enough so Diane couldn't hear, but loud enough so Erik could. "I've loved her for a long time, and no matter who _she_ loves; I will _always _love her."

"Reasonable enough," Erik said to him, wondering how much longer Diane would be in the bath. "But you know you can't force her to love you; no matter how many times we fight, no matter how many times you two fight, Diane loves who she loves; and if you do end up breaking us up; she'll hate you for your efforts." Erik paused, and then continued. "I should know, I was in the same quandary you're in now."

"Then I suppose you would know what you're saying." William didn't ask about why Erik knew, actually, he didn't care. All he knew was- Erik was right. "How did you handle it?" Erik paused for a while, and then simply replied:

"I didn't. I acted on my first thought, and that was to kill the man who had his hands on her; just as you attempted in the cemetery, but the more I tried to hold onto her, the more she resented me. So, I realized that I loved her far too much to hold onto her so desperately. She wouldn't have been happy here, and after meeting Diane, I see I wouldn't have been happy either." He spoke with such sage wisdom, as if he'd seen the world and all it had to offer. As if he knew all. "Do you want that to happen to Diane? Do you want to take her away from someone who loves her, and hold onto her so tightly, that you end up killing her? If you love her as much as you say you do, you've got to let her go." William nodded, giving Erik a thankful smirk, before returning to his book.

Erik went into the kitchen to fix Mia something to eat; leaving William in the main room to read his book in quiet.


	32. Papa

**Chapter Thirty Two:** Papa

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Gratefully, Mia's back had healed along with her wounds. Though some of her wounds would leave scars, and her black eye was still visible, most of the bruises had died down with Erik's constant care, and Mia had gone back to being bright and happy. Not because she didn't hurt much anymore (even though that was good) but because Erik was her daddy.

She'd been grateful for her sleep; after having gone a long time without being able to sleep without waking up in pain. She often stayed asleep for hours after everyone else was awake.

But that night, she'd woken up at midnight, her heart racing with the visions that passed through her mind; causing her to wake. She dreamt of Siegfried, and he was hurting her. He had her in a cage that was smaller than she was; and she was starving.

He kicked the cage over and over, beating her down until he pulled out a knife and stabbed it into her; causing her to wake up.

She crawled out of bed with her doll in her arms; and made her way through the dark home. It was pitch black, all the candles had been blown out; the gate had the drape over it; and there was no light anywhere.

Timidly, she groped her way around, keeping her hand on the wall, and inching her foot forward as far as it would go before bringing the rest of her boy with her. She knew where to go, but getting there in the dark was the difficult part.

It was only a matter of time before her foot hit the stairs, and she stumbled. Quietly, she walked up them, but she thought there were more stairs than there really were. Her foot fell down in the darkness, and a moment of sick surprise came to her when she almost fell forward.

She could see her parents frame in the room, though it was very faint. It was there that she paused, and tried to decide weither or not she should wake them, or head back to her room and try to get to sleep by herself.

Even though she was conflicted, she knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep; the image in her mind was enough to keep her afraid. She inched in the dark to Erik's bedside and whispered:

"…daddy…?" Erik- being the incredibly light sleeper that he was, groggily lifted his head, and saw the shadow of Mia's silhouette.

"…hey baby…" he whispered back, trying to wake up and not wake up Diane at the same time. "…what's wrong…?"

"I-I had a bad dream…about Siegfried…" She could admit, her blood father's name was hard to pronounce, but she managed fine. Erik lifted his head, put it back on the pillow, laid very still for a moment before saying:

"Ok…go into your room and I'll be there in a moment…" Mia nodded and trotted quickly off to her room. Erik sat up in bed, and eventually got his black robe over his shoulders (too tired to even think about grabbing a shirt) and made his way to Mia's room without waking Diane.

Mia had lit the candle that was beside her bed, and quietly watched as Erik groggily got to her bed, and asked her to tell him what the dream was about.

"Siegfried, he hurt me bad. I don't remember a lot of it though."

"Just lay back and try to sleep." Erik told her tiredly, sitting up by her pillow, and watching her fall back against it. Seeing how tired Erik was, she handed him a tiny stuffed animal that had sat on her bed, and he used it as a pillow.

"Daddy…what was your daddy like?" Mia asked, her voice not showing any indication that she was going to sleep. Tiredly, Erik replied:

"I don't know, he left before I could remember, my mother took care of me until she died." Erik told her, trying to keep the gruesome details to himself.

"Why?" Mia asked, turning on her side and looking up at her tired "Daddy".

"He just wasn't happy with us, so he left. It doesn't matter though."

"What was your momma like?" Mia asked, trying to keep the conversation going so she wouldn't have to go back to sleep and see that awful nightmare again.

"A lot like your mother. She was sweet and wonderful, and she always found a way to right a wrong." Mia made an "O" vowel with her mouth as she fell against the pillow, and heard Erik saying: "You need to get to sleep…you're going to be exhausted tomorrow."

"I know, but I'm too scared." Erik smirked tiredly, with his head laying against the stuffed animal he used for a pillow.

"Just close your eyes." After some unsure thoughts, she did. She closed her eyes, and she could hear him singing a lullaby to her. A sweet, gentle lullaby that rocked her soul to sleep; and caused her to fall limp against the pillow.

Erik smiled and moved away from her bed. He gently blew out the candle, and left her to sleep soundly for the rest of the night.

He was tired, and he wanted to get to sleep. He returned to the bedroom, and saw that Diane had been woken up, and was sitting up; reading.

"There you are." She spoke sweetly, a smile flickering on her face. "Did Mia get back to sleep?" Erik looked at her sympathetically before he fell back against the silk pillows.

"I'm sorry we woke you." Erik said as he closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and directed them towards Diane. She shook her head, put her book on the end table, and leaned over to kiss him.

"Don't be." She laid her head under his chin and closed her eyes. "Thank you for taking such good care of her."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He gently said, bringing his hand up to her head and stroking her hair.

**

* * *

**


	33. Feel good Factor

**Chapter Thirty Three:** feel-good factor

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

William and Erik had stopped feuding, and Erik could actually walk with Diane and have a hand on her without being thrown into a sword fight. In fact, the two actually became good friends. Not as good of friends as William was with Diane, but good enough.

They'd been below the opera for months at that point. The snow had long melted into spring, and the managers were pulling their hair out looking for Diane. Her sudden disappearance was both baffling and inconvenient. No one saw her last but Mia's baby-sitter, and even she didn't know where she was at that point.

The public was growing furious at her absence, but Carlotta was glad to see her gone. She hated that woman and she was glad to see all of the attention of the managers once again located upon her. Where she felt it rightfully belonged.

Although, while they were down there, since Mia's nightmare- Diane had noticed something about Erik. He became more affectionate on her in front of William and Mia, even though he knew that with Mia only down the hall, and there being no door on their room; he couldn't make love to her, he never let her forget that he loved her. Even though he always made sure she knew it; she knew something else was on his mind. She just- didn't know _what_.

She hated not knowing what Erik had up his sleeve, but at the same time it was exciting to find out when he planned on her to. He was such a great guy; she loved how he loved to surprise her, and she loved finding out what the surprise was.

* * *

"_Where_ is she?" M. Charles boomed at his partner, M. Mace, who knew just as much as M. Charles did. "We didn't hire her so she could disappear like this!"

"I know, but what can we do? The police are setting up a search and that's all we can do for now." M. Mace replied casually. He was more laid back than his cohort, who at that point was ready to pull his own teeth out at the worry.

"We _need _the money she brings in!" he continued to argue. "She brings in more than our operas do!"

"I understand that fact. But you Bernard need to calm down. Even her _fans _are looking for her. She'll probably be found soon enough." Just as M. Mace's lips came together at the end of his sentence, the office door flung open to reveal Siegfried standing in the doorway.

"Monsieur's, I'm Diane's _husband_, and I overheard what you were saying about all her fans, plus the police looking for her. I don't feel that's_ enough_. If you truly wish to find my beloved Diane, I propose you all my men to find her. They had been keeping an eye on her while I suspected her of cheating you see." He was lying through his teeth, but the managers believed him; since they didn't know his history. All they figured was the fact that he wanted to find his wife.

"Are you saying you can find her?"

"I'm saying I can _try_. The more people look, the more of the chance you'll see her again." The managers looked at each other for a moment, then back at Siegfried, who seemed overly confident in his abilities to find Diane. So, they nodded at him; causing a large grin to spread on his face. "Marvelous."

Siegfried left the office, sure that he would find his Diane, and take back what was rightfully his.

* * *

Erik returned from the surface world after running his errands, in hysterical laughter. This caused his guests to look at him oddly and wonder why he was laughing so hard.

"What's so funny?" Diane asked as Erik made his way to the study and placed a kiss on her cheek, still with an amused smile on his face.

"The managers- they're going out of their minds looking for you! Everyone is in search of you Diane, your fans, your ex, the police, everyone. It wouldn't be as funny if Carlotta wasn't trying to get them to_ stop_ looking." They didn't find the humor in it, but Erik thought it was the funniest thing in the world, so- out of respect for their host- the tree of them cracked an unsure smile. "I know, it isn't all _that _funny, but you didn't see the look on their faces. You could have sworn the world was ending."

"It's funny if you say so." Diane told him, completely missing the humor in it. Erik joined her on the couch after throwing his cape over an empty chair, and pulling his leather gloves off his hands. "So they're real worried about me eh?"

"Extremely, apparently, you pulled in more money than Carlotta did." Erik smiled proudly. "And that is driving her _insane_." Now that- was funny. So funny that Diane and William snickered.

"Daddy!" Mia erupted finally, crawling into his lap and smiling brightly. "Momma taught me how to do the card trick! See! See! Watch!" She quickly climbed down from his lap and ran ecstatically through the hall to her room, dug through her things and ran back. She climbed back into his lap, and pulled the cards of out of their box. "Pick one!"

"Ummm…" Erik looked at the cards, even though they were turned over and only Mia could see what suit they were. "…this one." He lifted a 5 of hearts out of the deck, and looked at it.

"Put it back." So he did. He never saw her face so bright, she _always_ wanted to learn how to do her mother's card trick. He put the card back; she put the deck back into a stack, and held it lengthwise. She put her hand over it, and the 5 of hearts card floated out. "Is it right daddy?"

"Perfectly" Mia grinned skittishly as she put the cards back in the box and put her back against Erik's chest.

"I did it just as good as momma right?" Erik nodded, pushing some of Mia's stray hair behind her left ear.

"If not _better_." Diane liked how, even when Erik had been alone all of his life, he still was able to humor a child the way he was. He'd grown so attached to Mia that- tearing her away from him would be impossible. Luckily, Diane didn't want to leave Paris without Erik with her. They would all four leave Paris together, and they would all four continue on with their lives- together.

Later that night, after Mia had gone to bed and after Diane got out of the bath and was putting on her clothes, she had only gotten buttons up to her breast buttoned when Erik came from behind her and locked his arms around her neck.

"Diane, I've got a surprise for you. Please come with me to the roof tonight." Smiling, Diane turned her gaze to meet his.

"I will, once I finish getting dressed." Erik slid his arms away from her, giving her a gentle kiss on her jawbone and allowed her to finish dressing. Before they left however, He took his cape off the chair and brought it back to her.

"The snow melted but it's still cold outside, so wear this." He said sweetly to her, putting the cloak on her shoulders and tying the tie in front. "I don't want you getting sick again." She smiled shyly as he put his arms around her waist and whispered: "I love you Diane."

* * *

Erik held the roof door open for Diane as she walked through. He was right, the snow had completely melted away; but there was still an icy chill in the air. She watched him grab her hand and gently draw her to the edge, where he sat her down and gave her a tender kiss.

"Listen Diane," He had to say that first and foremost, he knew Diane and she would break in with something when she heard something she didn't like. "You and I have been dating a long time. You make me completely happy, and best of all; you understand what goes on in my head. No one else was ever able to do that Diane. Only you could be so much like me that you understand.

Out of all the things I love about you; I can say that one of them is how easy it is to talk to you. I know I can say anything to you and not fear judgment." Diane waited, not sure of where he was going with his words. She saw that in his sharp, blue, orb-like eyes; he had a statement or question burning inside him, and he wanted to say it. "I can honestly say there is no one in the world I would rather be with, every time you come to see me feels like a reward. Thanks to you, I've seen that things aren't as hard as I made them out to be. So- at the risk of rambling, I want to give you this." She saw him reach into his overcoat and give her a small, dark purple, velvet box. Diane shifted her gaze from the box, to Erik, then back to the box. Eventually, she did lift the lid; and gazing back at her was a beautiful, expensive, gold ring with white, red, white, red, white diamonds on the band. Nearly crying, Diane thanked him for the gift. "I'm glad you like it." She rewarded him with a sweet kiss, and when she pulled away, he whispered: "Will you marry me…?"

Her throat closed up at his request. She wanted to, oh god how she wanted to. She loved, and trusted him.

But…

"I can't." she managed to say, her voice barely audible and raspy. She could see that her answer broke his heart, and immediately, he began to try and cover up for himself.

"You could have just said 'no' or made up some asinine excuse. You didn't have to say something like that. I know I'm not _perfect_, but I thought that because I loved you so much you would look passed my imperfections and-" He stopped when he saw Diane look at him with hollow, and sad eyes.

"It's not that I don't want to. I want to marry you, but I _can't_. I'm still legally married to Siegfried." She said miserably, sitting on the railing so her back was against the building, and her eyes were locked with his. Erik cooled his temper and sat beside her.

"Tell me." He insisted, knowing there was something behind her marriage.

"…when I left- I sent him some divorce papers, but he refused to sign them. I can't get married again until he either decides to sign the papers or dies. Until then I'm stuck as Mrs. Dane. Until death do we legally part." Erik watched her, and she watched him right back. Neither of them knew what to say or do. So Erik- thinking on the first thought in his head took the ring out of the box and put it on her wedding- ring finger.

"Wear it anyway. Showing to all who see your hand that you are my fiancée, legally allowed or not." His sweetness caused her to sit on her knees, and lean in to kiss him.

But Erik knew that he would marry Diane. He wouldn't be in a 'committed relationship' and he sure as hell wasn't going to wait for Siegfried to decide to let her go. He would get what he wanted on his own terms, and he would surprise Diane with it.


	34. Farewell Duet

**Chapter Thirty Four:** Farewell Duet

Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.

* * *

Weeks passed since then, and Diane couldn't take her eyes off her beautifully flamboyant ring. Erik took every chance he got at flaunting her expensive ring- which actually, considering how much money he'd earned over the years from M. Raeyer- didn't cost him very much at all. That didn't mean though, that he was any less proud of it.

As much of a surprise he wanted it to be, he couldn't help but want to talk to Diane about it. He wanted to know if she wanted what he was going to do. Because if she didn't- it would make him a monster in her eyes.

So the night before he planned put his plan into action; he got Diane all alone with him in the master bedroom. He made sure Mia was with William the entire time; so Erik got Diane all to himself.

That night- after a few months of no love making-they did.

* * *

Erik loomed over her after they were through, stroking her red hair, and looking into her deep eyes.

"Diane…Diane I love you." He began, since that was the best way he could think to begin what he was trying to say. "…and I want nothing more than to marry you. You and I could start a family together; and I want to adopt Mia, so she wouldn't be just my step-daughter. I know that you're still legally married to Siegfried, but I think I've thought of a way to get rid of him." Diane, upon hearing he knew how to get rid of Siegfried, smiled; and brushed her hand over his deformity.

"Tell me…"

"I-I could kill him." When he heard the words come out of his mouth, he wouldn't be surprised if she smacked him across the face and called him a monster. He wouldn't have been shocked when she gave him the engagement ring back and left him for good. But what he was astonished about was the fact that she seriously considered it. "I know it sounds terrible, but if he dies, you'll be free to marry whoever you want. I've killed people before and I know I can do it. I just- I want you to be happy…" He tried to talk his way out of the corner he was in. But the more he tried, the worse he sounded.

"Promise me," She began, pushing his sandy blond hair out of his face. "That Siegfried will be the _last_ man you ever kill." Erik nodded at her request, knowing he would have no other objective to kill anyone else.

"I promise." He smiled and she kissed him. Both of them savoring the taste of the other; since it would probably be another long time before they could be alone long enough to enjoy themselves like that.

"I want you to come with William, Mia, and Me." She spoke after some silent lip-locking. "On the road, my time in Paris is up; and I know we're not going without you."

"Could I?"

"If you couldn't, I wouldn't have asked. Erik, you're one of us now; like it or not." He smiled and pressed his lips against her's once more, taking in the breathtaking touch of her skin. "It's settled then, before you kill Siegfried, we'll get the cab packed; and we'll leave. Listen- it'll take a while to do that, so, if you have anymore loose ends here in Paris; it's your chance to tie them up." Erik nodded; knowing that there were in fact, loose ends he had not tied up; for he saw no reason to.

* * *

William had been told the plan, and he could say he was pro-Erik's plan. He hated Siegfried, and felt he deserved to die. William helped Diane pack the cab that day, knowing it was their time to go.

It was hard getting their entire luggage back in the cab, and they even packed some of Erik's things too. Like his ledger, all of his clothes, his monkey music box, and everything else he wanted to take with him. Including a few of his favorite books.

Diane was given a firm speech by the managers about disappearing randomly without a word to anyone, and then was given permission to go.

Erik heaved a heavy sigh as he stood in front of the De Changy estate. He'd not seen Christine in over five years, and he knew it would be hard to face her. But he knew he had to.

He knocked on the mansion with a shaky fist; it would take all of his courage to face her again. Especially after the bad note they parted on. He gulped, if this didn't go well, he knew it really would be best to leave.

A plump, loud looking nurse answered the door, and asked what he wanted.

"Is the countess here?" The nurse nodded and called up to Christine.

"Countess! You've a guest!" He heard Christine call back down that she was coming. The nurse allowed Erik to wait in the entryway, so he did. He stood by the staircase; waiting for Christine.

Time had not changed her a bit. She still looked like the same Christine he remembered, the same Christine he had loved. Except she was plump with pregnancy, that much he could see. But it didn't matter, with any luck, Diane would be the same way soon enough.

"Erik--!" she gasped, looking every bit as terrified as she did when he was going to strangle Raoul, looking completely helpless. He hadn't noticed until then, but she always had a look of helplessness about her. She depended on both of the men to take care of her. She depended on Erik to nurture her, and she depended on Raoul to protect her. He hadn't appreciated Diane's strength to protect herself and her daughter until then.

"Don't worry Christine. I've only come to bid you farewell. I'm leaving Paris for good soon; and I wanted to tie up loose ends." He said before she could assume he was there to kidnap her. Even if he was- why would he go through the _front door_? Logic also wasn't one of her strong points; she lived in too much of an ecstasy filled fantasy. It wasn't until then that he also realized that he knew nothing about Christine to begin with. He loved her voice, and knew she would do his music justice. But they never went to operas together, they never shared their fears or their shame; they actually knew nothing of the other. She didn't even know his name for most of his teachings.

"Oh, where are you going?"

"I'm not sure, wherever we decide I suppose." She heard the word 'we'. Smiling sweetly, she said:

"_We_? Who are you traveling with Erik?"

"My Fiancée," he answered proudly; proud to admit that he was getting married to the famous Magician Diane Dane. "Diane Dane."

"The Magician?" She questioned, causing him to nod. "I'm happy for you Erik. Raoul booked her for my birthday last year, wonderful woman. I wish you two, luck." He nodded, and thanked her. "Tell me, when is your wedding?"

"We haven't decided yet. We got engaged last week; and are going to think about it later." Christine smiled, and sat on the stairs, which meant Erik would probably be there a while. "I see you're- with child."

"Yes, our second." Erik was at a loss for anything to say to her. He didn't _care_ if it was her second baby or not.

"…if you had your first kid the year you left, it should be about as old as Mia- Diane's daughter." Christine nodded.

"The two played together for a while." Erik's eyes darted around the room, in search for something to say, but luckily, Christine thought of something. "She must make you very happy, does she know about…?" Erik nodded quickly, knowing what she was talking about.

"Yes, she knows about my face and about the opera house incident. She doesn't care."

"Then she must really be perfect for you. I wish the both of you the best of luck in the world." Erik nodded, and after telling her he had more things to do that day, he turned to leave. Giving her a last smile and:

"Goodbye Christine."

* * *

Erik had been following Siegfried for the rest of the day (after helping Diane and William finish packing the cab and getting ready to leave. He wasn't nervous; he never was when he took a life. Not after that first life he took back when he was a very little boy. He knew that with Siegfried's death, Erik and Diane would be allowed to live happily together.

He spotted him at three in the morning, and he was all alone. Perfect.

With a smile spreading on Erik's face, he jumped down from the rafters, catching Siegfried off guard.

"Hello, you must be Diane's husband." Erik taunted.

"I am." He answered, having fallen back on the ground out of surprise. Smiling, Erik slid the noose around Siegfried's neck, and pushed the knot up to his throat.

"I'm her fiancé." Was his simple answer. He pushed the knot tighter against Siegfried's Adam's apple; watching the man try and struggle free, but failing miserably. Erik saw his face turn bright red and his eyes nearly bug out of his eye sockets. This would be Erik's last murder, and he couldn't have picked a better victim.

"This is for hurting Mia and Diane, the two women I love. This is for all the pain and heartache you caused them both. I hope you end up burning in hell for trying to kill them."

He was doing what he always wanted to do since he and Diane became friends. He was liberating her from her bothersome husband; he was bringing happiness to her. A happiness that only could be brought through Siegfried's untimely death.

He couldn't say that he didn't enjoy squeezing the life out of Diane's nuisance. Because he did enjoy it. He enjoyed taking the life of the man who hurt his beloved Mia so badly, and who beat Diane down; almost crushing her soul. So, Erik was doing karma a favor, and giving Siegfried what he deserved.

Finally, Siegfried stopped struggling. He stopped trying to fight against his death, and he fell limp on the ground. Smiling to himself, Erik left Siegfried there, with his beloved Punjab, he no longer needed it.

Erik retreated to the cab where Diane, Mia, and William all waited for him. Diane, smiling tiredly at her newfound liberation, opened the door for Erik, and beckoned him in.

Erik raced towards the door of the cab, and climbed in. Mia and Diane sat on one of the seats in the large, probably expensive, cab; leaving a spot open for him. Smiling, he took his spot beside Diane, with Mia sitting in the middle of the two. The first words to come out of Erik's mouth were:

"You're both finally free."

As they left Paris's city, and rode down the country road, Erik, Mia, and Diane had all fallen asleep. Diane's head on Mia, Erik's head on Diane's, and Mia's head on Erik's shoulder.

These three people were a rare breed. They were the kind of people who- even though the world had been dreadfully unkind to them- had found a way to look past it all, and find happiness. They were the kind of people who knew there was always a way to make a home, no matter how small. No matter what happens to them, they would always take care of each other with love, bravery, and selflessness as they always did. And what they thought to be a series of ill-fated events were in fact, their first steps in a journey.

**

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**I'm glad you all liked this fic. Stay tuned for the **_**sequel**_


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